Glitch
by MissKeith
Summary: Book One. Dexter Douglas is chosen by fate to posses the power of the internet, but can he control the manifestation of global information known as Freakazoid?
1. The Last Present

Glitch

Chapter One: The Last Present

Dexter Douglas was an average teen on the bottom of the food chain; he had no physical friends, little family support and an older brother that would sooner punch him than answer a simple question. Things had never looked up for Dexter; sometimes it was like he was just a kid, trapped at the bottom of a pit and nobody cared.

At least he had his computer.

The last week of school a few of the football players had cornered him during lunch. Of course no adult was around when they slammed him into the lockers and demanded he hand over whatever cash he had. When Dexter's pockets were pulled inside out revealing he had only a few bucks for a burger they knocked him out with a single punch for wasting their time.

Duncan had made jokes about it on the bus ride home.

His reflection was pathetic, the black and blue shiner his only interesting attribute. Brushing his teeth he tried to think happy thoughts. Tomorrow was Christmas after all; _something_ good had to come out Christmas. He'd asked for that new pinnacle chip for his computer and though Dexter was sure his parents probably forgot it was what he wanted, he could be optimistic until tomorrow.

He spat into the skin and rinsed the foamy mess down the drain. His life was like a drain in that everything spiraled downward. Dexter decided that instead of going into a chat room he would just go to bed early. Maybe he would have pleasant dreams of candy canes, sugarplums and…_Steph_. Steph was the girl Dexter had had his eyes on for years; she was so pretty, but popular. Popular girls didn't date guys who were forgotten in ditches.

The next morning Dexter woke up to the sweet smell of bacon and eggs. His mother never skimped on breakfast during the holidays; it was one thing she had going for her. Dexter slipped out of bed and headed downstairs. In the kitchen everyone was already seated with full plates. How nice of them to wake him up.

"Dexter, how nice of you to join us dear", his mother sing-songed as she set a plate for him at the table. "Come eat yer breakfast so we can open presents!"

Even when he sat at the table with his family Dexter felt alone. Duncan, who was chewing with his mouth open turned to him and began shouting. Dexter tried to shield his food from the soggy chunks flying out of his obnoxious brother's mouth.

"Way to go ya little fink", he grumbled. "You better not eat slow on purpose, I want to open my presents and see all the neat stuff I got!"

Soon enough the Duncan family was out in the living room and paper was flying everywhere. Dexter opened his gifts slowly unlike his brother who was tearing the packages limb from limb. Duncan jumped up with a new football and in Dexter's opinion was too excited to receive a present he had gotten every year since he was seven.

Looking down at his gifts, Dexter wasn't too surprised to find he had a package of new socks, some cologne and a card from grandma with five bucks in it. Yeah, what he had expected.

"Dexter, you forgot one dear", his mother suddenly said.

She brought him a small present, wrapped in gold paper with a large red bow. Dexter slowly took it from her, feeling somehow that this wasn't a package of new underwear he had missed. Peeling back the paper he found that it was a white box. Inside the white box was the only thing he had asked for all year.

The Pinnacle Chip.


	2. Pinnacle Sequence

Chapter two: "[=g3,8d]\&fbb=-q]/hk%fg"

"What do you mean you destroyed the chips?"

The thick accent of the company CEO boomed through the eighty-first floor. An uneasy silence overcame the workers, their hands now hovering over their keyboards waiting for a rebuttal. Braver souls peeked over the walls of their cubicles. They wanted to see the face of the dead man Gutierrez was yelling at.

"I warned yew!" it was Roddy, one of the programmers from the seventy-third floor. "It weren't rrrready!"

"How dare you go behind my back", Gutierrez growled as he grabbed Roddy by the collar and lifted him up. "This will be the end of you. That chip was to change _everything_!"

"At what cost? It wasn't just a tiny flaw, but a _dangerous_ one", Roddy grumbled back as he shoved the parchment into Gutierrez's broad chest. "Here's my resignation. And I'm takn my research with me! You won't make another one of em abominations ever again!"

Gutierrez released Roddy and took his frustration out on the paper. It wouldn't be as simple as this. No one stole from Armondo Gutierrez.

_No one_.

That chip was the most advanced piece of technology his company had ever produced. He knew there had to be one somewhere. Even if it was just one, they couldn't _all_ be gone.

"It was the only one, dear", Dexter's mother chimed as she noticed the way her son was starring at his new, weird little do-hickey. "A young man outside the store sold it to me. It was pricey, but I figured it being Christmas and all-"

Mrs. Douglas was cut short as her sixteen year old son leapt across the room and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and patted his back. Dexter tackled his father next, startling him so bad he dropped the new watch he had gotten from Mrs. Douglas. The two parents watched as their son scrambled through the living room mess towards the stairs. It was odd to see such a big smile on his face and over something so small too.

"Thank you so much!" Dexter cheered as he scrambled up the stairs. "I'm going to go put it in right now!"

Duncan paused in the middle of pretending to catch a pass to roll his eyes. "What a _fink_"

Mr. Chubbykins, Dexter's cat, yelped as the bedroom door swung open. Dexter bee lined straight for his computer; his hands shook from excitement as he removed the outer casing to the tower. After replacing his old chip with the new one Dexter booted up his computer. He swore the thing already ran better. He clicked on his internet icon, but as his fingers were hovering over his keyboard to type in the destination code Duncan's voice echoed from the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey dweeb!" he shouted. "Mom says you gotta help clean up the mess! Play with your girlfriend later, she aint going anywhere!"

Dexter's fists clenched and shook. All he wanted was to test run the chip. But noooooo.

"Fine!" he called, heading for the door. "But you better not just sit there tearing the paper into tinier bits like last year!"

Mr. Chubbykins watched his owner leave. He stretched his body out, a small mew escaping him. Dexter had left the window open and a soft breeze was coming into the room. The slight breeze blew a butterfly off course and it flew through the open window.

This interested Chubbykins greatly.

With clumsy movements, the obese cat made its way to the computer desk. He batted at the colorful moving thing as it fluttered around the window. He made his way across the keyboard.

_Tap. Tap…Tap. Tap-Tap. Tap._

"Mr. Chubbykins!" Dexter's voice startled the cat; it yelped and tumbled off the computer desk, retreating to the hallway. "Aw jeez, what did he do now?"

Dexter closed and locked the door. He sat down at his desk and didn't give a second thought to the jumbled letters scrawled across his screen. It read _"[=g3,8d]\&fbb=-q]/hk%fg". _Shaking his head Dexter reached up and moved his hand across his keyboard. He hit a single button.

Delete.

But instead of seeing the scrambled text vanish Dexter was shocked to find that one by one all the pixels on his screen were slowly dying. After the screen had gone completely black and nearly all the blood had drained from Dexter's face he heard the fans speeding up. Dexter reached for his keyboard but froze when suddenly his screen revived in a spectacle of light.

It blinded him.

Shielding his eyes Dexter tried to scramble away, but he quickly found that his body was paralyzed. The light reached out and grabbed him; Dexter watched his skin break away like pixels while an unseen force pulled him towards his computer. He tried to scream but by the time he opened mouth there was nothing to say.

He had vanished completely.

Dexter Douglas reformed inside a dark place. He began walking as pixels reattached to his body, completing his digital form. There were dull trails of light on the floor. Where was he?

"Hello?" he heard his voice echo into the nothingness.

"Hello?" something echoed in the distance.

"Hello?" Dexter tried again, hoping he wasn't responding to an echo.

At first there was no response. Dexter felt his chest constricting when he began to realize that he was indeed _alone_. He was alone and had no idea what was going on. But then there was a sound building around him Dexter couldn't place. It resembled static. He heard something that sounded like a scrambled voice and headed towards it. The trails of light on the floor seemed to respond as he trekked forwards. Were they trying to lead him somewhere?

'Hopefully to _someone,_' Dexter thought.

The darkness seemed endless. Walking didn't seem to get him anywhere so Dexter resorted to running. But, no matter how hard he ran it seemed like he stayed in place; the only sign of progress were the zigzagging blue lights beneath his feet. Of course that could have been an optical illusion too. Just as Dexter was feeling short of breath he came to a sudden stop.

Thwack!

Bouncing off the solid object Dexter found that once he hit the ground his first instinct was to grab his throbbing face. He watched through his spindly fingers as a light travelled from him and formed a door on the wall.

Dexter felt a thrilling chill run up his spine. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he should be concerned, but as he inched towards the door Dexter felt a surreal type of warmth. It was like bunnies and sugar and everything pleasant wrapped into one big burrito.

This was something new. Something _good_.

"H-Hello?" Dexter's weak voice squeaked as his hand hovered over the door; the light brightened the closer he was. "Is anyone in there?"

He rested his hand on the cold surface and to his dismay the light faded away. Just as Dexter was about to pull away, the light returned and built into a steady pulse. As the pace peaked Dexter heard a gasp from the other side of the door.

Dexter pressed his ear to the door, surprised to find the sound of subtle breathing. It was somewhat comforting to know that whatever lie on the other side of this obstruction was at least alive. As strange as it was Dexter felt content listening to the gentle breathes that faintly made their way through the door. Then something startled him; a voice echoed all around. It sounded timid, like a lost child.

"Hello?"

The light spread from Dexter's palm and began taking over the darkness. He backed away from the door and the strange blue light engulfed the floors, walls and ceiling. However, as quickly as it illuminated it faded away.

"Wait!" Dexter cried as he reached forward, feeling the smooth surface with his hand as he searched for something to pull on. "Hello? Are you still there?"

"Please let me out", came the voices meek reply; whoever it was they sounded lonely. "It's dark and spooky in here"

"I…I don't know how I would do that…" Dexter admitted as he examined the wall; every time he touched it the lights would start up again, but nothing would open. "How do I get you out?"

"I don't like the dark…I don't like the dark…I don't like the dark…" the voice grew in urgency. "Dexter do something!"

A wave knocked Dexter off his feet, sending him spinning along the floor. It took a minute to catch his breath before lifting himself off the floor. Looking up he adjusted his glasses and watched the lights pulse every time another wave emanated outward. Dexter knew he had to stop this. The world around them was trembling.

Dexter rose and reached his hand out towards the wall. He feared the world around him would collapse. This had to stop now. He pressed himself against the wall and pushed with all his might.

"Hold on!" Dexter continued to push against the door with urgency; he had to close his eyes as the light only grew the longer he stayed pressed against it. "Stop freaking out and-"

Everything stopped.

The lights conquered the darkness with blinding force. Dexter tried shielding his eyes, but it seemed to wrap itself around him. He stumbled back and fell, but never hit the ground. Everything happened at once; the information came relentlessly, his body stretching like taffy as it was pulled downward. Again Dexter tried to scream, but no sound was heard.

Dexter Douglas was gone.

((Authors Notes))

So I know it's kind of lame to write a retelling of his origin, but a part of me wonders what the show would have been like if it were a little more serious like it was intended to be? Now, i'm not saying i'm going Batman with this, just a little less Animaniacs and a little more along the lines of the Tick from the comics. And it's not just a retelling, I promise. I'm just trying to take Freakazoid somewhere new without screwing it up.

Feedback is appreciated for those of you who were gracious enough to keep reading after such a droll first chapter. Cheers!


	3. Freak Out!

Chapter Three: Freak Out!

Everything looked so different when one viewed it with their own eyes; videos and pictures didn't do the real world justice. Large gloved hands hovered over the keyboard, the thing that had controlled him. As a computer program, one did as they were instructed. As a man, he had freedom. The freedom to _choose_.

He promised himself right then and there he would never be ungrateful for such a privilege.

The chair he sat in was fun because it could spin around; kicking the floor to push he made it twirl. When it stopped he faced the mirror on the closet door. His eyes opened wide. As the teen rushed to the glass and pressed his hands against the reflection everything seemed to piece together as he recognized the face starring back at him.

It was Dexter Douglas. But Dexter Douglas wasn't _him_, he thought. Kind of, but not really. Not anymore at least.

Dexter pulled his hand from the glass, his face filled with bewilderment. He tried to speak but no sound left him. Well, how often had anyone heard a reflection speak? So he just calmed his breathing and stared at the teen before him, who was dressed in a form fitting red suit with white gloves and boots. His hair stood on end, black as night with white lightning bolt streaks on either side. Whatever it was, it resembled Dexter to some degree, aside from the blue skin and the muscles anyway.

"Hey Dex, what's up?" the entity said in a cheery tone; he looked somewhat offended when Dexter didn't reply. "What's up buddy? Cat got your tongue?" he leaned against the glass, starring and waiting. "Well…" he grumbled after a long pause. "This is a little…awkward"

Dexter tried to speak, but of course nothing could be heard by this being that had possessed his body. He stomped around in the mirror, throwing a slight tantrum. This amused the blue teenager, who grinned with childlike wonder. So far this world seemed pretty nice, much better than the computer where everything was mostly dark…and lonely.

"It's nice to meet you face to face", he tried outstretching his hand but his fingers bumped against the glass; Dexter crossed his arms and tapped in foot rapidly. "I'm sorry Dexter! I'm sorry!" the blue teenager tried, gesturing to the glass. "I'm doing my best, but look at what I have to work with here!"

Then he heard something echoing faintly in the back of his head. Was that Dexter's voice?

"Wait!" he encouraged happily. "I heard somethn!"

'_What's going on?_' Dexter's voice fought through the constant buzzing of information in the boys head and made its way to the surface. '_Who are you?_'

"Oh", he blushed as he realized he hadn't actually introduced himself. "Well…that's a good question…" he paused, tapping his chin and thinking for a moment. "I suppose I'm you. Oh, but we can't _both_ be called Dexter!" he exclaimed, swirling his finger besides his head. "Boy that would be silly. As silly as eating cereal with a fork!" he chuckled at his own joke, but ceased when he noticed the deadpan expression on Dexter's face.

'_You can't be me'_, Dexter reasoned. '_I'm me…you're somebody else'_

"No I'm you…to some extent anyway", he instructed with confidence. "I had to borrow some of your _essence_ to make this form for myself", he took a moment to look over his body, flexing and smiling giddily. "Made a _few _changes. Small changes. Not that I don't think your awesome or anything. I mean, you're me. Can't dislike yourself!"

'_I don't like myself very much_', Dexter admitted.

"No way!" he exclaimed in honest disbelief. "But you're so smart! And you wear glasses and even possibly you have the world's fattest cat! What's not to like?"

'_ugh_', he sighed. '_None of those things are either good or bad_'

"Well you know what I think? I think your better than…than a…than a tub full of good things!" he lifted his hand and crossed his heart with a sincere smile. "Promise"

'_Well…_' Dexter decided he'd better drop the subject and move onto something else. '_So…what did you say your name was?_'

The strange teen opened his smiling mouth, but instead of saying anything froze. He pulled away from the glass, squinting his eyes in thought.

"How about you just call me Freakazoid?" he offered after little thought. "Yeah that sounds _cooooool_"

It was like Dexter had given a kid permission to dress himself; the end result was spontaneously random. But, whoever this thing really was he seemed pretty set on the name so Dexter agreed. He watched as the blue being turned around and began forging something. When he came back around he had what looked like a patch and slapped it on his chest. It was a capital 'F' with a yellow exclamation mark next to it.

'_What's that for?_' he asked.

"It lets people know who I am", Freakazoid pointed out as he admired the new symbol on his chest. "Plus it breaks up all the red, draws the eyes from my love handles", he pinched his sides, which looked lean enough until Freakazoid grabbed two handfuls of fat.

'_Okay…that's great and all…_' Dexter mumbled. '_But what about me Freakazoid?_'

"Oh, yeah…probably want your body back huh?" Freakazoid whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes. "I knew it was too good to last! Farwell wonderful world!" he walked around the room, picking up Dexter's things. "Goodbye math book…goodbye lamp…oooo comics, but of course goodbye to you too!" sitting on the bed and after getting over how bouncy it was Freakazoid picked up Dexter's pillow and held it to his chest; he smelt it tenderly. "I've never smelt things before. Just another thing I'll miss I suppose"

'_Is all this necessary_?' Dexter pointed out.

"Not really." Freakazoid admitted. "People are just streaming a lot of Desperate Housewives and I got carried away"

Freakazoid put Dexter's pillow back in its place, then got up and walked to the window. He saw the blue sky and the sun. Truth be told, Freakazoid liked this place. He liked it a lot. Perhaps there was some way he could stick around.

"I want to stay" Freakazoid sounded so far away as he spoke, looking out the window with wonder. "Dexter, I want to see this world with my own eyes…we can work together, be friends?" there was a pause and then he sighed and continued. "I have some of your memories, I know how you got that shiner", his voice dropped a bit as he turned to the mirror and looked his other half in the eye. "That doesn't have to happen anymore. I can protect you."

Inside his mind Freakazoid felt Dexter thinking the offer over. He was unsure, but Freakazoid didn't blame him. What was he anyway, but something that wasn't supposed to exist? However just when Freakazoid's mood began to falter, Dexter's thoughts released warmth that Freakazoid found comforting. Was this sensation emanating from his other half acceptance?

"Dexter?" Freakazoid whispered timidly. "I promise, because you're my best friend that as long as I'm around nobody will ever hurt you again…cross my heart and hope to die, stick a poodle in my eye"

'_We'll see Freakazoid…_' Dexter offered. '_But how about we start with me getting my body back…as a sign of good faith_?'

Freakazoid twiddled his thumbs, twisting his right foot back and forth like a kid. He didn't want to leave yet; there was so much more to see and do. But this whole thing was as new to Dexter as it was to him. They could work out the details later, after getting a little bonding time he was sure. Freakazoid knew it wouldn't take long. After all he was an extension of Dexter and how hard would it be to make friends with someone who was just like you?

Yeah, he and Dexter would be buddies in no time.

"Okay Dexxy", he struck a heroic pose, putting his balled fists on his hips and tilting his head upwards. "It's a deal!"

…

'_Um…Freakazoid_?' Dexter interrupted when nothing happened. '_Can you um…could we change back now?_'

Freakazoid looked around, examined his body and then shrugged his shoulders. Grinning sheepishly he walked back to the closet mirror to face Dexter.

"Jeez Dex, I guess I don't know how", he admitted as he swung his arms behind his head. "There's gotta be a way…there's _always_ a way"

'_What do you mean?_'

"C'mon Dexter", he chuckled, giddily prancing in place. "You've got an alter ego now. There's got to be a way for us to switch, a catphrase…like Billy Batson- oh! Oh! Oh!" Freakazoid bent over backwards and then sprung up into the air shouting "SHAZAM!"

But of course nothing happened.

'_You may be on to something…but I don't know what it could be_' Dexter's frustration showed in his tone. '_We could be at this for hours…for days…I have school Monday morning Freakazoid_'

"Don't worry Dexter, I'll find it", Freakazoid promised. "Here I'll start trying…Shazam! Oh wait…right…um…Bazinga! Banana's in Pajamas! Wondertwin Powers Activate! Avengers assemble! Rollout! Change back! Open sesame! Flabbergha-"

'-_Stop!_' Dexter interrupted frantically. '_Just…man…this isn't going to work…oh, god what if I'm stuck in here?_'

"Calm down, Dex", Freakazoid tried to sound chipper, but it was getting harder as Dexter panicked. "I won't break my promise, I'll switch us back. Just stop freaking out"

'_Freaking out?_' Dexter stammered with all composure lost. '_I'm not freaking out, Freakazoid! I'm trapped in my own mind, I may never get back out…I'm…I'm Freaking in!_'

Freakazoid felt a tremor run through him. A light grew at his core and expanded outwards; he felt like his insides were being pulled at. Freakazoid yelped as he was sucked into himself and Dexter subsequently got pulled out, replacing him where he had stood.

'_Yeah, I think you definitely hit the key phrase on the head there champ_', Freakazoid's voice echoed in Dexter's head; he didn't have to fight through the constant buzzing of information like Dexter did.

"Yeah…I did", Dexter stared at his reflection, grateful to find his own mirrored image starring back at him. "Lucky me"

Dexter walked backwards with caution. He fell back on his bed. This whole episode had been tiresome. It was hard for him to keep his eyes open. His lids lifted briefly when he heard Freakazoid's voice whisper in the back of his mind.

'_All tuckered out?_' he joked softly.

"Yeah"

'_Gonna take a little nap?_'

Dexter nodded his head, forgetting that the voice was coming from inside him. But, Freakazoid felt the motion. His smile became a slight tingle as Dexter drifted off.

'_Nighty night Dex_', Freakazoid cooed. '_You get you some sleep_…_I'll just take this time to settle in_'

((Author's Notes))

Okay, so Freak's in the picture now so it's time for the party to get started! Wanted to establish the universe so checkmark on that one. So next is developing Freakazoid as a hero figure, as well as bringing in his and Dexter's main love interest...dum dum dumb duuuum. Yeah, it's Steph. Don't be surprised if she's a little less campy and a little more realistic.

Almost done with Chapter four, but don't expect and update till Friday night. Cheers!


	4. A Really Good Question

Chapter Four: A Really Good Question

By the time Dexter woke up it was dark outside. His door was still closed; maybe nobody had checked on him all day because they assumed he was fiddling with his present. Well, this time at least. Everything felt weird as he sat up. Dexter swore his head felt heavier, but shrugged it off. Finding his gaze drawn to the computer Dexter wondered if perhaps his excitement had been the catalyst for the obscure dream.

It had to be a dream after all. Whoever heard of someone getting _sucked_ into a computer in real life? That stuff only happened in movies and comic books. Dexter found it difficult to get to his feet and keep his balance, but with determination he made his way to his computer chair. His computer screen was black, but he didn't remember turning the thing off. Then again he didn't recall going to be either. Dexter reached for the power button, but just an inch from it…

ZAP!

"Ouch!" Dexter yelped as he retracted his hand, shaking it violently. "What the heck?"

'_Sorry about that Dexter_', the voice in his head startled Dexter. '_I was feeling a little drained myself'_

Dexter moved away from his computer, gently suckling on his sore fingers. His eyes filled with worry as he tried to tell himself that nobody had come out of the computer and spotted in his head. There was no _Freakazoid_.

'_You're not crazy_', Freakazoid chimed. '_I exist remember? We just covered this_'

"Oh yeah…" Dexter feigned forgetfulness. "I…forgot"

Turning to his mirror, relieved to see his reflection, an audible sigh escaped him. Retreating to his bathroom Dexter changed into his night clothes and brushed his teeth. Leftovers were a likely option, but truth be told he wasn't all that hungry. There was too much _stuff_ going through his mind to even think about food. He only had the weekend to figure things out before school Monday morning.

"Okay. So how's this going to work?" Dexter pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to accept that he couldn't simply ignore him till he went away. "How do _two _people share _one_ body?"

He felt Freakazoid start thinking; the surge of information was unexpected as unused parts of Dexter's brain sprung to life. The strain birthed a headache sourced in the center of his skull. When Dexter winced, Freakazoid ceased. He hadn't meant to hurt him.

'_Am I thinking too loudly_?' he asked with his inside voice.

"Thinking too much", groaned Dexter as he griped his head and fled to the bathroom; he pulled a bottle of aspirin out of his cabinet and popped two pills. "My brain hurts"

'_You're brain's out of shape a little_', Freakazoid joked quietly. '_I'm sure it'll beef up after a little while_'

"Hopefully", Dexter sighed, clutching his throbbing head. "But, it reminds me. We should set some…ground rules"

'_Lay em on me_'

"Well, first of all…when we switch you have to switch back on my call", he pointed out. "I have to trust that you won't run off with my body or anything"

'_Oh, never!_' there was so much blatant honesty in his voice that Dexter believed him instantly. '_I pinky swear'_

'_I believe you_', Dexter thought, somehow knowing Freakazoid would hear him; he felt his alter ego's smile. "So…anything I should know about you?"

Dexter tried his best to not sound like he was asking cheesy questions on a dating show.

'_From what I can tell, Dex…i've absorbed parts of you, I know almost everything you know_', he began confidentially spewing information like a computer. '_But i'm not human, I know that much…_' Freakazoid drifted off; as he thought and spoke simultaneously it was like hearing the information from someone other than himself.

"So what do we do now?" Dexter sighed as he crawled into bed, snuggling under the covers.

'_Let's worry about that tomorrow champ_', Freakazoid quipped.

"Kay", Dexter sighed as he drifted off to sleep.

_..Meanwhile, somewhere else…_

"What's this?" Roddy gripped his monitor as he stared at some very unpleasant information. "How can I receive a download confirmation?"

He typed like a madman, trying to prove the message was some kind of error. But as much as wished it weren't true, the confirmation code ensured him that someone was in possession of a pinnacle chip. That someone being Dexter Douglas.

"Oh no…" Roddy dropped his face in his hands to avoid gawking at the flashing red text, issuing a warning; it read _notice of malfunction. _"Ah! Roddy my boy…why did ye hafta be right?" he rushed to his drawer and began rummaging through its conents. "I've got to find this Dexter Douglas lad before Gutierrez does!"

…_Douglas household Sunday morning…_

Dexter thought the pounding was his headache, but as he rolled off the side of his bead he discovered that it was someone-probably Duncan-banging on his door. He was so tired, not at all in the mood to deal with his brutish elder brother. But he dragged himself to the door anyway and regretfully opened it.

"Duncan…" he began solemnly.

However, Dexter was shocked to find he wasn't face to face with Duncan at all. Standing before him was a brutish looking man; a tall, broad shouldered, kilt wearing Scotsman. Dexter slammed his door shut, locking it as quickly as he could. He scrambled backwards as the man knocked again.

"Lad!" the stranger called. "My name is Roddy MacStew! I'm the programmer of the Pinnacle Chip, please yew half ta let me in!"

"How did you get into my house!" Dexter's voice cracked in the middle of his panic driven shriek.

"I told yer mom I was yer driv'n instructor…" he admitted sheepishly.

"Well you're not my driving instructor! I have no idea who you are!" Dexter's back hit the wall; it didn't help knowing he was trapped in his room and the guy outside his door could probably kick it in if he wanted to. "So go away or I'll call the cops!"

'_You don't need the cops Dexter_', Freakazoid beamed with confidence, his smirk practically making its way onto Dexter's face. '_I can protect us, just let me out!_'

"Let you out?" Dexter stammered; the stranger now forcibly jiggling his bedroom door's lock quickly erased all doubt in his mind. "Okay…okay…how do we change?"

'_If you freak in and become Dexter Douglas…then to become Freakazoid you need to…_'

"Freak out!"

As Roddy flung the door open he witnessed the lad being pulled inside out in a flash of light. When the light vanished he saw a whole new person before him. Freakazoid stood ready to fight, a canine heavy smirk spread crookedly across his jaw. Roddy held his hands up as he backed away; he hadn't expected this to happen.

"Lad…you don't understand…" Roddy tried reasoning with whatever he was facing because he was certain by the look in its eyes he wasn't talking to Dexter anymore. "I'm here to help yew"

"Prove it!" Freakazoid challenged, pointing dramatically at Roddy. "Prove it or I'll make you eat dirt!"

Roddy was taken aback. Eat dirt? Maybe this creature wasn't as dangerous as Roddy had originally suspected. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Folding it into a paper plane Roddy gently tossed it to the lad. Freakazoid pranced in place as it floated to him; he snatched it out of the air and popped it open with a snap of his wrist. He read it right side up and upside down. The scowl on his face faded to a questioning stare.

Freakazoid looked up defiantly; his brow hanging low as he stared Roddy down. There was an awkward pause between the two of them then Freakazoid did something unexpected. He shoved the paper into his mouth and ate it.

"You're a meanie!" Freakazoid shouted, balling his fists as bits of paper and spit spewed everywhere. "Y-You're a meanie ya…ya big WEENIE!"

On instinct Freakazoid turned to run and his body ignited into light; he flew right into somewhere familiar and safe…the computer. At the speed of light Freakazoid travelled through the interwebs, trying to get as far away from _Roddy_ as possible.

He didn't want to hear him say it aloud. His body flew out another screen and tumbled to the ground. His back hit a nightstand, but it didn't hurt.

Freakazoid got to his feet and leapt out a nearby window. He froze when he felt the grass beneath his feet and smelt the alluring scent of a nearby Sunday BBQ. This world was so great and he wanted to stay and be part of it. That man wanted to delete him, like a lowly computer virus. Freakazoid knew in his heart he was better than a computer virus.

And he would prove it.

His thoughts were broken as a familiar light came from inside the house. Freakazoid squealed as shortly after Roddy leaned out of the open window. The super teen backed away from him; he noticed that unlike himself Roddy looked pretty much the same. No blue, no suit, just Roddy with barely noticeable white bolt streaks in his red hair.

"Lad, calm down", Roddy tried to reason as he fell out of the window. "Please, just give me a moment to explain!"

"No!" Freakazoid snapped, sticking his tongue out at the Scotsman. "You're a mean weenie! Leave me alone!"

Freakazoid took off into the street. He went as fast as he could as far as he could. Unfortunately Freakazoid didn't notice the stop sign around the corner. His body went flying across the asphalt, rolling and scrapping against the rough surface. The car he had hit was smoking from the blow, its radio going haywire from the extra surge of electricity.

Freakazoid lifted himself off the ground. His eyes widened as he realized he had hit someone. Scrambling to his feet he sprinted to the scene; there was a lady with short black hair in the car. Her python grip on the steering wheel forced her knuckles white. He came to the side of her car and knocked on the window.

"Hey lady in the car!" he shouted till she turned her head; she moved mechanically from shock. "Lady are you okay?"

She nodded once, wondering if she had suffered a concussion.

"Good, cause I'm running away from a crazy guy wearing a dress!"

"It's a kilt!" Roddy shouted as he tackled Freakazoid to the floor.

"Oh so now you wanna wrassle huh?" Freakazoid's back hit the ground, but he managed to get his feet between him and Roddy; with a good push he flung the Scotsman into the air. "Very well! Let the _wrassling_ commence!"

Something itched in the back of Freakazoid's mind, but he ignored it. He was too focused on the offending Scotsman to worry about an itchy brain. Roddy landed a good distance away, his footing getting lost as he tumbled to the ground. It was clear that he was no match for the boy. Freakazoid cracked his knuckles cockily as he strode forwards.

"Did I break your hip?" he joked, flexing his muscles. "Woah! Oh wow I'm pretty strong!" he cheered happily as he began prancing around and doing random backflips. "Look at what I can do! Weeeeeeeeee"

Roddy watched as Freakazoid landed a back flip and then thrust his hands in front of him and began running in circles making whooshing noises; every once in awhile he would leapt several feet into the air to perform another flip. He was having the time of his life, completely oblivious to the Scotsman standing only a few feet away with his jaw on the floor.

"Lad, please listen ta me!" Roddy frustratingly shouted. "Stop doin that and listen to me!"

Freakazoid stopped doing backflips, much to his dismay. He crossed his arms and heavily huffed out a sigh. Roddy weakly got to his feet and brushed himself off. With an expression that read 'about time' he addressed Freakazoid with stern determination.

"There. You done?" he grumbled. "My! What a live wire ye are, lad", Roddy stretched his sore back. "Now listen to me I dun mean you no harm…I'm here ta help yew", Roddy walked towards the teen when he finally showed a sense of understanding. "I tried to prevent _this_ from happening", Roddy explained, gesturing to Freakazoid. "But now that it has happened I must figure somethn out"

"Oh! You mean the part where you WANTED TO DELETE ME!" Freakazoid snapped.

"I'm sorry lad…" he sounded earnest in his apology. "I dint know what to expect…", he circled Freakazoid once around to get a better look. "Yer a whole nother person in there arnt yew?"

"Sort of" Freakazoid ran his hand through his hair. "But you didn't change", he pointed out.

"Just another mystery my lad", Roddy laughed as he lightly patted Freakazoid on the shoulder. "Now, how about we cease all this foolishness?"

"Okay", Freakazoid agreed.

It was only once the dust settled that Freakazoid felt that itch again; he had to direct focus on what was causing it to realize the odd sensation was Dexter trying to reach him. Freakazoid wondered if he should tell Roddy that it was much harder for him to hear Dexter than it was for Dexter to hear him, but opted against it. There was still little he knew about the Scotsman and in a moment of sanity figured he should keep some things to himself. He could discuss it with Dexter later after his talk with Roddy.

"Should we do something about that lady I hit?" it was only after looking over his shoulder did Freakazoid realize she had left her car. "Oh, she left"

'_Freakazoid!_'

Roddy hurried to Freakazoid's side as he took a knee, his hands latched onto his head. Freakazoid winced in pain, shutting his eyes tight as he tried to shake the pounding in his head.

'_Freakazoid!_' it was Dexter calling out to him. '_I need to talk to Roddy!_ _Let me out!_'

Roddy knelt down and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder; his voice was calm and comforting. "Lad are ye okay?"

"It's Dexter…" Freakazoid replied through gritted teeth. "He wants to talk to you"

"Then let him out lad" Roddy gave Freakazoid a hard pat on the back. "Best I talk to him anyway"

Freakazoid looked up at Roddy with a pout. He didn't want to be deleted. Luckily Roddy picked up on the queue and offered him a comforting smile. It occurred to Freakazoid that perhaps Roddy wasn't a conniving villain, but an ally. Well, he'd give him a chance to prove it anyway. Looking down at the ground Freakazoid swallowed the dry lump in his throat to whisper '_Promise you won't hurt Dexter…_'

"Wouldn't dream of it lad", Roddy assured, grabbing his shoulder and giving him a good shake. "I just want ta ave a chat with im", his eyes widened when Freakazoid lifted his hand and outstretched his pinky finger; Freakazoid wore a serious face, that seemed unnatural on the spry spirit.

But Dexter's safety was no laughing matter to him. He wasn't human, but Dexter was. Dexter could get hurt. Even though it was awkward Roddy offered him his pinky and they shook.

"Freak in"

Roddy stumbled back as Dexter reassumed the body. The teen wobbled back and forth in the street, holding his head. He was light headed and glad Roddy was there to help him to the curb. After catching his breath Dexter began feeling his body, inspecting it all over for any sign of damage.

"I…I was hit by a car", he turned to Roddy with wonder in his eyes. "I got hit by a car and I'm _okay_", leaning back on his hands Dexter let out a quick chuckle; when the joke lost his flavor he addressed Roddy with an apology. "I'm sorry Mr. MacStew for running from you. I was just…"

"It's alright lad", Roddy gave Dexter a quick shoulder pat; however, unlike Freakazoid Dexter felt the wind get knocked out of him. "C'Mon, it's goin ta be a long walk home"

Roddy stood and offered Dexter his hand. The two of them began heading back towards the Douglas home. Apparently in the course of a few seconds they had travelled somewhere around twelve miles. Yeah, they had plenty of time to talk. At first neither of them spoke, because what each of them wanted to say couldn't be said in a simple fashion.

"So do you know what's happened to me?" as simple as it sounded, Dexter's question was layered and complex.

Roddy rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about what to tell him. How do you tell someone that you simply can't answer the most important question they've asked in their entire life? Dexter looked at him through his estranged bangs; it didn't help that he was only a kid. He was in the middle of the awkward journey from childhood to adulthood and now all this extra baggage was just thrown atop everything else.

"This entity Freakazoid is beyond my calculation", Roddy spoke with regretful honesty as he tried to explain the trouble Dexter had found himself in. "I dun know what it's capable of, or what it'll do to yew in the long run", and there was a brief pause in which Roddy considered lying to Dexter, but that kind of thinking wasn't going to help the kid out.

Dexter sat quietly, his toes pointed inward, head hung low, fingers fumbling over one another. He was used to bad news and the familiarity of it calmed him. At least things weren't going to change that much.

"All I do know that it is not human, it doesn't seem to be stable…how could something with that much information and constant fluctuation last? It chose yew though Dexter. Something about you drew it in", Roddy paused at a stop light and rested his burly hand on Dexter's thin shoulder. "But, Freakazoid is no longer just a glitch, he's _alive…_and you are his host. This is theory really, but without yew he's just data"

'_Pft_', Dexter heard Freakazoid pout. '_What does that weenie know_?'

"He's just trying to help", Dexter hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud until Roddy shot him a confused look. "Oh…uh, Freakazoid…"

Roddy shook his head, lightly patting Dexter's shoulder "Aye…We got a lotta work to do laddie"


	5. Super Teen Extraordinaire

Chapter Five: Super Teen Extraordinaire

Monday morning came too quickly for Dexter. As he readied himself for the day he considered finding some prolonging factor. He took a few pills to ease the headaches that had plagued him while his mind synced with Freaks. Today was going to be interesting. He tried thinking happy thoughts as he gently pulled his bedroom door closed.

On his way downstairs Dexter received an unexpected shove from his brother Duncan. A touch of luck graced Dexter into catching his footing so that he did not tumble down the stairs; but as he half stood clinging to the railing Dexter couldn't help but think how much of a godsend a broken leg could be at this point.

At the bottom of the stairs, Duncan took a moment to turn and flip Dexter the bird. What a horrible brother he had. He let out a heavy sigh as he began trotting down the steps.

'_Want me to beat up your brother_?'

Dexter chuckled, shaking his head lightly back and forth. Duncan quirked an eyebrow at the sudden outburst his brother displayed. The two of them reluctantly walked towards the bus station; Duncan kept a minimum of ten feet between him and Dexter at all times. With his mumbling out of Duncan's earshot Dexter comfortably started his newest habit of talking to himself.

"Okay, so today we go to school", he kept his whispers in a scolding tone. "So no antics today or interfering. Just observe okay?"

'_I guess that's an option…_' Freakazoid grumbled. '_Or we could freak out and wail on those guys that beat you up_' after a rather mischievous chuckle he added. '_That could be fun_'

"Perhaps", Dexter idly agreed. "But remember what Roddy said about using our powers responsibly?"

He reached for the rail and clambered inside the bus. It was obnoxiously loud as all the other teens went into exaggerated detail about every little thing they did over the break. It was funny how much could be said about high school life just by taking the bus; the popular kids sat in the front, the stoners and nobodies sat in the middle with the timid freshmen and in the back of the bus sat…everyone else. Dexter took some joy in the fact that he wasn't _all_ the way in the back.

'_Ooooo look at all the people_!'

At school Dexter treaded lightly, bee lining for his locker; he only had a few minutes to gather his things for first period. Pulling out his Literature book and spare notepaper he made sure he didn't forget a thing. When he closed his locker Dexter noticed a piece of paper on the floor. Instead of picking it up he focused on the pink sneakers standing besides it.

'_Hey that belongs to someone_' Freakazoid chimed. '_Think maybe you should pick it up or something?_'

Feeling compelled to pick it up, Dexter did so. He held it a few feet from his face focused on the name written so eloquently in cursive. The owner of the paper closed their locker, half turned away as they double checked for their things. Dexter wanted to say something but he couldn't bring himself to utter a sound.

'_Aw nutbunnies! Stop being a silly goose and give it to em already!_'

"Oh!" it was embarrassing that he needed to be reminded to do so; Dexter reached out and gently tapped the owner on the shoulder. "Uh…Steff?"

She spun around, her shoulder length blonde hair trailing behind her. Her blue eyes opened wide as Dexter timidly held the parchment out to her. As a smile spread across her face Dexter felt his stomach turning; he felt tingly and warm at the center.

'_Woah…she's purdy…_'

It didn't help that Dexter had to feel his and Freak's emotions. His face flushed and he began to sweat. The slickness of his nose made his glasses slide down a bit. Dexter pushed them back into place quickly. All the while Steff was being friendly, smiling as she put the paper into her folder.

"Oh thanks Dex", she chimed happily. "I didn't even notice I'd dropped it. You know how I am sometimes", bringing her hand to the side of her face she lightly brushed her hair behind her ear. "How's your…um eye?"

"My…oh! Fine", Dexter looked away while he rubbed the back of his head; jeez why did he have to get all nervous every time she spoke to him? "Um, how was your break?"

"Fun", she said, her blue eyes wandering off to fanatical places. "There was so much snow over there. I heard not a flake fell around here though…"

"No…"

"Did you have a good break?" she leaned against her locker for a moment, intent on hearing his half when the first period warning bell rang. "Oh! Time for class. Thanks again for finding that paper Dex"

'…_And just like that she walked out of my life…_'

"Yeah, well she's outta my league" Dexter grumbled as he stomped off to class. "I'm lucky enough she's nice enough to speak to me"

As every first day back from break often goes, each instructor took an extra day off, opting to simply give a review of the last day of class and peddle filler assignments. Dexter didn't really pay much attention, especially in science class. Steff sat in front of him in science.

Dexter nearly drifted off daydreaming; he had never felt so unfocused in his life. Also, his notebook was littered with little doodles of him and Steff. When he had done that he wasn't sure, but attributed it to his subconscious. Freakazoid had been quietly admiring the blonde all day.

It occurred to Dexter that Freakazoid was able to affect him, even if it was in small ways. He wouldn't tell his blue friend how unsettling that was. The thought did occur to dexter that his brain may be a two way street. What if Freakazoid's immediate attraction to Steff came from his feelings for her?

Dexter made a mental note to message Roddy with the theory later. He tore the drawings from his notebook and crumpled them into a ball. It sort of upset him to think that Freakazoid liked the same girl he did. Why did he have to like her anyway? But Dexter knew they were two halves to one whole now and were bound to agree on some stuff. But did it have to be Steff?

RING!

In P.E Dexter found a misplaced sense of relaxation in running his warm down laps. It helped clear his head of Freakazoid's weird thoughts; oddly, most of them were about food that didn't even exist or should _never_ be mixed together. What positive outcome could be had out of mixing octopus and grape jelly in a milkshake?

His laps were over sooner than he had thought. As he came to a stop Dexter headed for the fountain, smiling at the fact that for once he wasn't last. After a quick drink he slowly made his way back towards the locker room.

All in all the day had gone by pretty fast and he found he was feeling pretty good if not a little hungry. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so constantly _hungry_. Hopefully there were plenty of leftovers in the fridge at home.

Instead of taking the bus Dexter opted to walk home. He didn't really feel like hearing anymore voices than he had too. And even though Freakazoid offered to take over and zap them home Dexter refused. The exercise seemed to settle Freakazoid a little anyway; maybe it was because they shared a mutual energy reservoir.

'_This is taking too long_' Freakazoid whined. '_We should stop for a snow cone or something_'

"Yeah, sugar water is exactly what you need"

'_Please?_' he requested timidly. '_I was good today like I promised_'

"I wouldn't even know where to get a snow cone Freakazoid!" Dexter said louder than he intended to; an old woman besides him at the light stared awkwardly and forced him to turn away from her. "Stop making me talk to myself!"

Dexter rushed across the street. As he hopped onto the curb he heard the sound of sirens blaring. It seemed like crime had been going up recently so he wasn't too surprised. But the sirens sounded like they were coming closer. A large black van came around in a wide turn, bouncing off some cars parked at the meters as it fled.

The old woman was in the middle of the crosswalk. Dexter calculated a poor outcome instantaneously. The van wasn't going to stop and it didn't look like it was taking the time to swerve either. A thought flashed through Dexter's mind that he wasn't entirely sure was his own. Leaping off the curb and sprinting towards the fear stricken lady Dexter knew she wouldn't be paying any attention to him.

"Freak out!"

Everything had come and gone; her entire life played like a fast forwarded tape. But there was no light at the end of the tunnel, or even the sensation of leaving her body. It seemed that the only thing that did happen was the thundering sound of that monstrous van hitting _something_. Gertrude opened one eye and saw red. But it wasn't blood.

Freakazoid found his legs were shaking, and wished the driver would stop pressing down on the gas pedal. The back end of the van began to swerve so Freakazoid used its momentum to toss it into a light post. He chuckled as the van caved in, crippled as the engine's fluids began leaking onto the floor. Looking under his arm he smiled at the old woman. Her eyes were all glazed over from shock.

"Saved yer life!" Freakazoid beamed, suddenly punching the air like a boxer warming up for a fight. "Freakazoid one, evil van zeeeeeeero!"

"Freakazoid?" the woman repeated.

"Yepper!" he cheered as he landed a back flip. "And now for a snowcone!"

Twisting around Freakazoid lead his body with outstretched arms; his run was cut short as a bullet flew past his shoulder. He turned to the object's origin with a less than amused face. A man had somehow climbed out of the wreckage and he was limping towards him with a gun.

"Why you little punk!" he growled as he took aim. "I'm gonna shoot you right in yer blue head between those eyeholes of yers"

"Can you do it by the count of three?" Freakazoid questioned.

The man grinned crookedly and complied, but by the time he had counted to one Freakazoid was besides him, leaning his arm on the semi automatic weapon. He smiled crookedly; half understanding that he was taunting the guy and pushing his luck. Neither he nor Dexter knew what would happen if he were shot, but somehow Freak had the feeling it didn't matter much. Of course that could have been the crazy talking.

"Woah, what's this button do?" Freakazoid cheerily pressed his finger against the weapon and it collapsed into pieces on the floor. "Well that's a cool feature! I used to have a toy that did that too!" he wrapped his arm around the guy, pulling him close. "Wow. We have so much in common"

"Let go a me you freak!" the vandal cried as he squirmed to escape Freakazoid's cobra embrace. "Ack! Yer smotherin me!"

It took little to subdue the bad guy as he passed out; Freak gently lowered him to the floor and pretended to tuck him in. The cop car came to a screeching halt; Freakazoid noticed there were two cops, a young one and an old one. He watched curiously as the young cop came out of the car and approached him with his gun raised. It wasn't until the cop actually pointed the gun at Freakazoid did he realize that perhaps he should have fled the scene.

"Don't worry…" the young cop said slowly. "We saw what you did. You saved that lady", when Freakazoid said nothing the cop continued. "Sir, would you be willing to come with me to the station for some questions?"

Cops were good right? Weren't you supposed to do what they said?

"Sure!" he started strolling with the officer back to the police car when Freakazoid felt an itch in the back of his head. "Hm? What's that Dex?"

'_What are you doing!_'

"I'm going with the nice policeman like he asked me to…" Freakazoid replied, unaware of the odd look the officer was now giving him.

'_No!_' Dexter sighed exasperatingly. '_You can't do that Freakazoid!_'

"But…he asked me politely…."

'_They want to figure out who you are Freakazoid!_' Dexter shouted, ringing the blue teen's ears. '_That is the last place we want to be!_'

"Nuh-uh", Freakazoid pouted, all too sure of his answer. "The last place I wanna be is anywhere near poo gas. I HATE Poo gas!"

'_Ew! Freak just get us out of here!_'

"Sir?" the offer quietly interrupted; he tried not to look at the boy like he was crazy, but he was talking to himself…and he had covered himself with some kind of blue paint.

"Freakazoid", he replied matter-of-factly as he returned his attention to the officer. "My name is Freakazoid"

"Freakazoid?"

"Freakazoid", he nodded with a wide grin. "Oh, and one more thing!"

"What?" the cop asked, slightly lowering his weapon.

"Goodbye"

In a flash of electricity Freakazoid fled to the phone line above, leaving the rookie with his jaw on the floor. He leapt from the wires in Dexter's house. Freakazoid hopped onto the bed, performing a childlike march and dance number while singing.

"Freakazoid! Freakazoid! Runs around in underwear-" a hard wave hit and Freakazoid registered it as Dexter yelling; he dropped to the edge of the bed trying to focus on finding Dexter's voice amongst the calamity going through his mind. "Sorry Dex…I forgot about you for a minute there"

'_I noticed!_' Dexter didn't sound happy at all, but his voice was a little clearer. '_You can't go to the cops Freakazoid. Cops mean media and media means ATTENTION. Roddy told us specifically to not get ourselves noticed_'

Freakazoid looked out the window; he just wanted to have fun, but if Dexter was trying to keep them safe who was he to argue? Even though he had the power of information Freakazoid recognized that Dexter had all the common sense and reason. He was smart in a different kind of way; a better way in Freakazoid's opinion.

But saving that old lady had sparked an idea in Freakazoid's head; one that seemed logical at that. It was a piece of cake to stop that car and disarm that guy. Maybe he wasn't just a parasite couch surfing on the lobe of a nerdy sixteen year old. What if this were fated to happen all along?

Roddy had said there was no explanation for Freakazoid's creation other than the chip seeing something in _Dexter_. Even though he'd known him for a short time Freakazoid knew in his heart that he and the chip saw the same thing.

_A hero._

((Author's notes))

Is this the beginning of Freakazoid's heroic career? Well to be honest not quite but close. I hope this hasn't felt like filler, because sometimes I tend to drag on a bit in the middle. Anyway, I hope my few readers are enjoying the story so far. I always say that as long as one person is reading the story will go on. _  
_


	6. Saving the World Before Bedtime

Chapter Six: Saving the world Before Bedtime

Dexter sat hunched over his computer desk trying to focus on his math homework. Trying being the key word as Freakazoid had been prattling on for _hours_. If he had to hear about the time he '_saved that one old lady and disarmed that robber in the black van_' one more time Dexter was going to really freak out.

On top of all that Freakazoid was practically overfilling with joy and excitement, which left Dexter antsy and agitated. All he wanted to do was finish his homework and get on his computer. But _Freakazoid_ wanted to talk…and talk, and talk, and talk! He had so much energy Dexter swore he even felt him doing back flips inside his head. There had to be some way to calm him down.

'_Let me go out on patrol!_'

"What!" Dexter felt that statement had come out of left field. "What do you think you are some kind of nighttime vigilante?"

'_Maybe…I mean didn't it just come naturally to us when we leapt in front of that car?_'

Dexter stopped writing. His fingers flexed, tapping his pencil against his desk. He'd tried to brush off the event on the way home and not get too excited about it. Dexter just thanked his lucky stars nothing more than an article had made its way into the paper. Roddy had practically reached out of the computer and slapped Dexter on the side of the head when he heard about the incident; as much as he applauded Dexter for doing the right thing he had to remind him that Gutierrez was out there searching for the both of them.

Wouldn't going out and fighting crime just draw more attention to them? Yet Freakazoid couldn't connect the dots; how was it he possessed infinite access to information but lacked the ability to apply any of it? Dexter let out a heavy sigh.

'_Dexter_' Freakazoid coaxed. '_We both know that I know, that you know I know you thought about it_'

Dexter tried his best to keep the smile tugging at his lips off his face. It wasn't like Freakazoid could see him, but he could feel Dexter's interest in the idea. Even if he wanted to go out and play hero, Roddy had specifically told him not to draw attention to himself. Not only was his life possibly at stake here, but Roddy's was as well.

He tried to make Freakazoid understand that.

"So?" Dexter grumbled as he tried to go back to doing his math homework; his pencil ended up doodling little circles instead of equations. "I mean, yeah…what's the first thought that's supposed to go through a guy's head when he realizes he's got an alter ego with superpowers. Of course their alter ego's rarely have minds of their own…but this is different. This is real life with real life consequences Freak"

Dexter dropped his pencil and swiveled in his chair to face his mirror. He saw sitting in his place a bigger bluer version of himself. Freakazoid grinned as he gave Dexter a nod; the both of them knew he _wanted _to. But there were real bad guys out there. Could Freakazoid handle the other ones? The ones who had _abilities_?

Dexter recalled a legend of a creature that could capture anybody if they uttered his name. Another noticeable and common breaking news story was that giant gentleman caveman. He could pick up cars and toss them like baseballs. The more Dexter thought about the more he realized that this city could use a hero. But it wasn't really his call. Roddy had made it clear that if he didn't want his loved ones falling into Gutierrez's web he should just go about his usual life. His usual…boring, horrible life.

'_Hey don't worry Dex_' Freakazoid cut into Dexter's thoughts, shoving them aside like a backdrop. '_I mean, what's a super powered blue teenager to do but fight crime? I bet I'll be swell at it_'

Dexter wanted to say yes, but he knew he shouldn't. He did his best to think of a reason to stay home.

"Well…I still have all this homework to do and it's already _eight thirty_", he countered. "I have to be in bed by ten" shrugging his shoulders Dexter tried to sound disappointed. "Aw, shoot. Maybe…some other time. Not tomorrow though, some other time"

'_64, 28, -2, 4, 13, 88, 31, 16 and 64_' Freakazoid smugly replied. '_Can we go now?_'

"You can't give me the answers!" Dexter wined as he threw his pencil down and buried his face in his hand. "Ugh. You're not going to drop the subject are you?"

'Nooooooooooooooooo!' Freakazoid cheered like a sports announcer.

Dexter walked over to his mirror, wondering as looked at his reflection if he saw Freakazoid because he was crazy. Freakazoid smiled with a Cheshire grin as he began gesturing for him to carry on. It was odd, but Dexter could feel Freakazoid knocking on the inside of his skull as he begged for release. Hope filled his eyes as he silently pleaded with Dexter.

"Aw, Freak", he groaned. "Please…just stop making that face"

Freakazoid really wanted out. Dexter looked back at his homework, then over to Freak's pouted expression. They'd only been one person for four days and they'd developed a weird kind of brotherly bond.

"Well…maybe we could go on _patrol_", Dexter offered. "But, just to _observe_. And you have to get us back here by bedtime" He lifted his hand and pressed it against the cold glass with a smile. "Deal?"

Freakazoid back flipped with joy. He bounced happily up and down, moving his idle closer to press his hand against Dexter's. Dexter lowered his head and released a weird chuckle; he felt mad for actually going along with the idea, but Freakazoid had a point. He had thought about it. It wasn't an impossible idea either.

"Remember to be back here by ten or I'm gonna _Freak out_"

ZAP!

"Oh, I see what you did there!" Freakazoid giggled as he began stretching. "Clever!"

'Thanks Freak'

Freakazoid leapt out the window, opting to go on foot for his first night of patrol. He only got as far as a mile away when he realized that he only had an hour and fifteen minutes left and resorted to travel by wire. He sprung out at a traffic light, spinning around to perch himself on top of it. It was convenient being able to go anywhere he wanted at the speed of electricity. Especially since Freakazoid had a rather short attention span.

"Oh wow! Buy one get one free gelato!" he leapt down onto the sidewalk and dashed into the store; the service woman made sure he got his ice cream and was out of there as quickly as humanly possible. "Lucky me!" he cheered as he took turns licking each cone.

Suddenly someone bumped into him. Freakazoid watched in utter horror as both cones flew from his hands and viciously splattered all over the pavement. He noticed a flash of red disappear around the corner. Someone was yelling behind him; he turned to see a young woman in her twenties frantically screaming for help.

"My purse! My- oh!" she backed away from Freakazoid, covering her shrill sounds with her slender hands. "_It's_ _you_!"

"It's me?" he quirked.

Freakazoid had to think back to where he saw her. Oh yeah, he'd hit her car. Well wouldn't this be the perfect time to make amends. He ushered for her to stay put before chasing after the purse snatcher.

The crowd around the corner didn't help Freak's cause at all, but he remembered seeing the red. It had to be a dress or something. He began making his way through the crowd. Movement in an alley caught his eye; Freakazoid watched a silhouette climb over the chain link fence.

'She's over there Freak!', Dexter exclaimed.

He followed after the culprit, finding the leapt over the fence much easier than he had thought. It didn't seem like they were anywhere nearby, but just as Freakazoid thought he'd lost them he heard a subtle splash. Just a few feet away stood a woman in her late twenties; she was pretty and slender. Her red dress hugged her frame tightly and rode up her stocking covered legs. She looked him in the eyes and knew running would do her no good.

"You a cop or somethn?" she spat with venom.

"No", Freakazoid hadn't realized he was walking out of the shadows as he spoke; the atmosphere was accidentally cinematic. "Just a patriotic citizen"

"What the hell?" Audrey didn't know what to do; was this the guy from the paper? "Who are you?"

"Freakazoid" he exclaimed proudly, making sure to point to the emblem on his chest. "And I want that lady thing you got there"

Audrey looked down at the purse. Was he serious? He actually chased her down to get that woman's purse back? And here she was certain chivalry was dead.

"I think she's a little old for you if you're trying to impress her", Audrey commented with serpentine smoothness. "What, you couldn't be more than seventeen?"

"Sixteen", Freakazoid replied with a turn of seriousness, like she should have known how old he was. "And I'm not trying to impress anybody"

She looked in his eyes and with womanly intuition, and having been a teenager herself developed a pretty likely hypothesis.

"Nobody does something for nothing", she remarked coyly. "There's got to be something you're looking for…_someon_e you want to impress"

'Freak, she's trying to distract you', Dexter's voice sounded feint as he issued the warning.

Freakazoid forgot about Dexter's warning as he couldn't help but think of Steff. Suddenly, her thinking he was some big hero didn't seem like such a bad idea. Girls liked stuff like that didn't they?

Oh, but Dexter loved Steff. If anything he should be helping _Dexter_ win her over. Heroes didn't steal and stealing someone's heart from someone else was in Freakazoid's opinion a horrible thing to do to someone you cared about. And he cared for no one more than Dexter.

Freakazoid focused on the task at hand not realizing that his other half voice had vanished completely. There was so much going on in his mind now Dexter had become lost. He could no longer hear him. Unfortunately Freakazoid hadn't noticed.

"She's…taken" he said out loud.

Audrey walked up to Freakazoid, rocking her hips back and forth. She was good at reading people and this kid was fighting with himself. There was a troubling past behind the new blue hero of Washington. Maybe she could get a weakness out of him, now that could be worth some money if he was anyone special.

"Aw, sweety" she cooed. "You know I always say that our hearts tell us what we love, not people." her voice dropped low, which burned her words into Freak's mind. "And you know what they say about following you heart"

Freakazoid looked horrified by her advice.

"But I couldn't do that to Dexter! I'd never do that to him!" he growled, startling Audrey.

She slithered into his personal space, looking up at him with a sly smirk. The teenage boy leaned back, confused and weakened by the intrusion. Audrey looked through him, reading his expression like an open book. Her words left her with precision and stung with the lasting sting of venom.

"So your weakness is love?"

"No. its graphite bars charged with negative ions" he shook his head in a disappointed fashion. "Jeez, you're not very smart are you?"

"Are you?" Audrey snapped.

"…I think so…" Freakazoid questioned, his expression going sour. "Wow, you're mean!"

"Fine, I'll just go then"

She shoved the purse into his hands and stormed off.

"Yeah!" Freakazoid made shooing gestures towards her. "Get out of here!"

Audrey walked away from what could have been a bad situation. Lucky for her the guy was a dope.

...

"Here you go" Freakazoid was grateful that the woman had actually stuck around and waited. "And sorry about your car… I'd give you my information so I could pay you back, but I'm not allowed to tell anyone who I am"

She just starred for a moment, her brown eyes opened wide with a mixture of confusion and wonder. The woman clutched the bag to her chest and opened it, pulling out a small card. Offering it to Freakazoid she waited patiently for him to take it. Freakazoid was surprised to find it was a business card for the local news network.

"I'm their new field reporter, Veronica Valentine", she told him nervously. "I forgive you for hitting my car and making me late on my first day, but you have to do something for me…"

"I got your purse back, didn't I?" he chuckled. "That's _something_ right there already!"

"Yes, but…" she reached out and grabbed his forearm, her tiny hands not making it halfway around his bicep. "You're the guy from the paper aren't you?" she looked around, recalling the accident. "You must be! Because I hit you with my car and you're fine…oh, sorry about hitting you by the way" she held him in place when he tried to pull away. "What are you doing in Washington?"

"I was just on patrol…"

"Amazing!" she exclaimed, leaning in with a huge grin on her face. "Well, I found you first so promise me that I will be the first to get an interview! Please?"

Freakazoid knew heroes didn't break promises so if he were to agree he would have to uphold his word. He nodded in agreement and took his leave. Resurfacing on a telephone wire some distance away Freakazoid found he had to take a moment to think. But it hurt his head to focus on serious matters for too long. Everything ran smoothly when it was on impulse and not contemplation.

Reasoning things out was Dexter's thing, not his.

He wondered if Dexter was mad that he'd agreed to do an interview after he specifically told him media was evil. But Dexter never replied, he was nearly too far gone in Freak's subconscious. Alone, Freakazoid thought for a moment about what the thief had told him about hearts and junk. If he liked Steff did that make him a bad person? Freakazoid didn't want to be a bad person, especially if it meant he was taking something from Dexter. But Freakazoid was a teenager and had hormones running his brain as much as anything else. It was tough call.

Something about Steff was alluring. He liked her more than anything else he could think of. It was because Dexter himself was so infatuated with her that Freakazoid also found himself entranced. Chuckling to himself he knew he would have to remember to tell Dexter that they did indeed affect each other. Freakazoid considered pulling Dexter out to talk it over with him but his internal clock informed him that it was nearly ten already.

'_Time to go home and let Dexter get some sleep_'

"Freak in!"

Dexter pulled at his neck as he headed for the bathroom to prepare for bed. He felt so tired though, he almost considered sleeping in his clothes. It was nice to have some peace and quiet in his head, but Dexter felt a little unsettled by the fact he had blacked out for the second half of the night. He'd have to figure out how to prevent that from happening.

His old spring mattress felt comfy as Dexter settled into it. Eyes heavy like lead slammed closed as he instantly drifted off. Freakazoid surfaced for just a moment, stirring Dexter's decent into slumber land.

"Wha isitFreakzid?" he mumbled only half awake.

'_Nothing…just wanted to say goodnight Dex_'

"Oh", a smile tugged at Dexter's lips. "Goodnight"

'_Dexter?_'

"…Yeah?"

'_I have something important to tell you…'_

"…"

Dexter had already fallen asleep, leaving Freakazoid alone with his own thoughts. Inside Dexter's head he had his own set up of a TV and giant red couch. As he cuddled into his couch Freakazoid found he couldn't sleep; he turned on his little bunny eared T.V and watched Rat Patrol reruns until he too drifted off to slumber land.

He dreamed about getting a snow cone with Dexter.

...

((AUTHOR'S NOTES))

Yay! He's finally doing super hero stuff! Sorry it took so long to get here. We go back to school in the next chapter, but afterwards expect some real super stuff to start going down.

Special thank you shout out to my reviewers! **Guardiansaiyan**, **VanillaSpiders** and **TheRestIsRustAndStardust**

you guys rock! Thank you for your support!


	7. It Came From Harry Connick High

Chapter Seven: It came from Harry Connick High

Audrey lowered her hood as she entered the club. She wove between the melting bodies to the back door. There was a large man standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. She flashed him a piece of paper and he stepped aside to let her in. Her snagged fishnets caught the attention of her audience.

"Who let the riff raff in?" commented the nine foot brute sitting at the table with a glass scotch in his hand. "I recall this club being advertised as exclusive not inclusive"

Disregarding the relic Audrey slid herself into a spot between Deadpan, the epitome of apathetic expression and Waylon, the man who possessed the power to turn people into stone; though he often wasted the power on pigeons out of sick irony. Longhorn turned his mutated face towards her and snorted. She hissed back at him, the crazed look in her eyes encouraging him to mind his own business.

"Now now my friends…" came a voice out of the dark. "Miss Manatee is here per my request. Aren't you my dear?"

"Why yes, _Mr. Gutierrez_"

"As you are all aware, I called you to pay you well to do a job for me", he continued as he circled the table. "Something precious was stolen from me…something powerful", slamming his fist against the table, Gutierrez drew their attention further. "My company is beyond filthy rich and I will pay handsomely to anyone who can retrieve this object"

"Sounds drull", Caveguy side commented as he sipped his drink. "I thought you said this was going to be an investment?"

Gutierrez pressed a button on his remote activating the projector; on it was a single image of the pinnacle chip. He focused intently on the object, his eyes mad with hunger for its power. Turning to them he made sure to tower above the best lowlife's his city had to offer.

"There is only one of these chips left in existence and I want it returned to me"

"It's a chip? Like a computer chip?" Audrey rested her chin on the back of her hand as she spoke. "What's so special about it?"

"It has the power to change you"

"Change like how?" came the emotionless comment of Deadpan.

"Imagine possessing the knowledge of the internet, super strength and near invincibility!" Gutierrez boomed. "This chip has the power to do all these things!"

"So what's to stop us from just using it?" Audrey joked as she leaned back in her chair.

"Only I know that sequence which activates its abilities" Gutierrez warned. "So no double crossies"

"How do we find it?" Deadpan commented idly.

"Ah", Gutierrez pulled out some paperwork and laid it on the table. "I have reason to believe that someone has activated the Pinnacle Chip"

"What makes you say that old boy?"

"The local paper reported a young man of about sixteen expressing unique power. What a coincidence this happens just after I was told all my precious chips were recalled", Gutierrez clenched his fist and spoke with deranged passion. "Imagine wielding such power, Apex Microchips could expand into a new line of export. What do you think people would pay for a code that gives their soldiers the same effects as this Freakazoid?"

"Hopefully they don't wind up as looney tunes as this guy was", Audrey commented. "He didn't seem to be _all there_ if you know what I mean"

"I will handle side effects later", he gestured and Jocko came out of the shadows hauling a heavy suitcase. "It's clear I would need to run a few experiments to find them out exactly, so I offer you a deal. Bring this boy to me and this will be yours"

Jocko tosses a heavy suitcase onto the table; it flung open revealing its illuminating contents. Everyone awed at the sight of it, their faces basked in the golden glow.

Meanwhile, Dexter Douglas starred idly through the glow of his computer screen to message Roddy. The teen sat hunched over his keyboard with dreadful bags under his eyes. He wanted to sleep, but there was so much extra energy bouncing around inside of him he just couldn't get himself to turn in. Freakazoid seemed to require a great deal of exercise to be content.

'_I just feel wired all the time_' Dexter wrote sluggishly.

'_Well, you let him out for what…a couple hours a night?_' There was a slight pause and then Roddy added. '_What do expect pure energy to do when you bottle it up?_'

'_I know but when we change everything gets fuzzy_' Dexter admitted. '_And sometimes it's like he can't hear me. I worry about what he does when I can't see or speak to him_'

'_Reasonable_'

'_What should I do?_'

'_He needs some sort of outlet, lad_'

Dexter held his hands above his keyboard as he took a moment to think. He wondered if Freakazoid going out and fighting crime _was_ the outlet he needed. Freakazoid was _strong_ enough, he was _durable_ enough and he was _eager_ enough, but was he capable of choosing his battles or making tough choices? Dexter wasn't entirely sure of the latter.

'_He wants to save people._ _I don't know if he's ready Roddy_'

The next day at school Dexter struggled to keep his eyes open. It had gotten so difficult that as he tried to open his locker he found himself leaning in and resting his head against it. Someone gently shook his shoulder. Dexter opened one eye, his face smearing against the cold locker as he turned his head towards the hovering figure. It was Steff of all people. He tried his best to stand and make himself presentable.

"Dex, you okay?" Setph asked sweetly as she noticed how haggard he looked. "Maybe you should go see the nurse or something?"

Dexter pulled his shirt up to wipe the drool from the side of his face; he felt so vulnerable and pathetic. Why did she always have to notice him when he was at his worst? Not that his best was anything spectacular, but it would be nice to have a normal conversation for once. Or at least have to not suffer the pity that often filled her eyes when she graced him with her kindhearted attention.

'_She's just being nice Dex_', Freakazoid sounded light headed, filling Dexter's thoughts with his mushy feelings. '_Don't leave her hanging_'

"Oh…" snapping back to reality he realized that Steff was worriedly waiting for him to answer. "Sorry…I'm fine, really" Dexter tried to sound normal, but he his words slurred together a little. "I haven't been sleeping well lately, that's all", he took a minute to examine his watch, eyebrows quirking up when he realized what time it was. "Oh jeez, class is starting! I'm so sorry for making you late Steff"

But she wasn't upset with him at all. She'd known him since elementary school and though Dexter wasn't more than a school friend, Steff still cared. He never really took good care of himself.

"It's no problem Dex", she smiled warily at him as she rushed off to class. "Just you know, take care of yourself!"

"Thank you", he didn't say it loud enough for her to hear him, but what else was there to say as he wove goodbye.

'_She's so full of caring_', Freakazoid purred. '_And she's got such a big…heart_'

Freakazoid's voice echoed thick with affection inside Dexter's head; that gooey feeling consumed him again, bringing an unwanted smile to his face. Dexter did not want to smile right now. He grabbed his things from his locker and slammed it shut just as the bell rang. Nobody was around to hear him mutter to himself.

"What's with your weird obsession with Steff?" He hadn't meant to sound as upset as he was, but it was difficult enough dealing with the fact that he liked her. Now he had to sit and listen to him talk about it and feel how he felt about her? "It's getting annoying"

'_She's just so nice…and pretty_'

Dexter's face lit up with heat as a stray thought of Freakazoid's mixed with his own. This didn't sit well with Dexter at all. However, despite being upset with Freakazoid Dexter couldn't bring himself to talk about the issue with him. He didn't want him to know he'd hurt his feelings because it could just as easily crush his other half who cared so much for him.

He had grown fond of the blue guy. Sometimes he was annoying sure, but Freakazoid actually cared about him, listened to him and provided good company when Dexter felt lonely. The odd blue phenomenon made him feel special too; his whole life Dexter had been nobody, but even if no one knew his secret, Dexter knew. He knew he was somebody.

Plus, Freakazoid couldn't help himself if he had a little crush right? It was puppy love so why blow it out of proportion?

Class was a blur to Dexter. He spent most of the time with his face smashed against his desk stuck in the middle of being asleep and awake. Once in awhile he would turn his head and observe how well the overcast weather matched his mood. Maybe if it rained though, the white noise would help drown out Freak's thoughts and he could get some sleep. That would be nice.

THWACK!

Dexter awoke to a sudden and very loud sound. Blinking wildly he discovered it had been caused by a book; he tried not to look his teacher in the eye as he hurriedly packed his things and scattered from the classroom.

He desperately wanted to go home, but there was one class left. Gym. Oh boy, was he looking forward to gym. Well, _Freakazoid_ was anyway.

Being late to get into the locker room Dexter had to hurry and change; he didn't feel like running extra laps as much as Freakazoid applauded at the idea. Seriously, the constant buzz going on his skull made him feel like breaking it open at times.

But when Dexter was suddenly shoved into his locker and the sharp pain registered to his senses he realized how ridiculous such an idea was. Hissing, Dexter clutched his skull to try and stop the throbbing. A boy from the football team spun him around. He stared Dexter down; literally, Dexter feebly slid down the lockers as he tried to finish pulling his shorts up.

"What are you trying to pull with this whole act?" the boy sounded insulted as he smacked Dexter's chest with the back of his meaty hand. "Always trying to make Steff feel all bad for you, telling her _lies_ about us?"

That was out of left field. Dexter had never named dropped anyone to Steff. She was a clever girl, much smarter than the boys gave her credit for. It was more likely she figured it out on her own. It surprised Dexter more that she had mentioned anything to anyone on his behalf.

"First you tell her that my friends beat you up and now you're spreading rumors that we're harassing you?" the bigger teen towered over Dexter, his fist gently tapping the inside of his palm. "She turned down a date with the quarterback because she thinks he's a bully or somethin"

'_Hey! Don't let that guy bully you Dex!_' Freakazoid snapped. '_Tell him something!_'

"I-I didn't tell on…a-any of you g-guys", he managed to squeak through his terror.

"Then how did she know it was us twerp!"

"M-Maybe she figured it out on her own", Dexter did his best to stay calm; his feet slid on the floor while he tried to push himself away, only succeeding in digging the deadbolt of his gym locker into his back.

Slowly a sensation made its way into his consciousness. He suddenly found his hands curling into tight fists at his sides. But this anger wasn't his; the burst of emotion belonged to his other half. Freakazoid didn't like this guy.

"Back off you meathead!" Dexter blurted the words out, just as surprised by them as the bully. "Oh, no…I didn't mean…"

Dexter tried to grab onto something as he was yanked off the gym floor till only the tips of his sneakers scrapped the cold tile. He watched as the cleaver fist wound back and built tension. But, as it came his way Dexter suddenly convulsed, feeling his nerves ignite with electricity; Freakazoid was fighting with him. With little say in the matter Dexter screamed just as impact was indefinite.

Freakazoid took the full force of the blow, bouncing off the lockers and falling to the floor. The bully didn't see them switch though, so when he looked down at the blue kid clad in red he was awfully confused. Lifting himself up Freakazoid wiped the drool from his cheek and looked up with a mischievous grin.

Dexter was gone. The jock instead found himself facing a broad, smug looking blue kid who stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. The jock looked around, confused at first. Where had this guy come from?

"Where did the dweeb go?" he snapped, clenching his fists.

"Dexter's somewhere safe from the likes of you", Freakazoid smirked, ready to embrace this sudden burst of humanity; he would teach these air headed meatbags that picking on those weaker than them wasn't acceptable. "But you, you're in trooooooooouble!"

Freakazoid easily dodged the next incoming blow, tightly grabbing the meaty boy's wrist and twisting his arm behind his back. He kicked him to the ground and let loose a hearty chuckle. His laughed ended abruptly when the locker room lights shattered.

"Oopsie daisy!"

"What are you kid, some kind of freak?" the bully growled as he clambered to his feet; apparently he wasn't good at taking hints, like the fact that he clearly should have stayed on the ground.

"The name is Freakazoid!" he announced as he began hopping up and down like a boxer warming up for a round. "And I have an aversion to bullies!"

He sprung forward and kicked the boy in his chest. When he bounced off the row of lockers behind him Freak reached out and grabbed his face. Stepping aside he led the fumbling youth into a head on collision with the next row of lockers. It was a clean knock out.

Hopping onto the bench Freak perched himself on his back and drummed his chest enthusiastically. Hopefully this guy would think twice before picking on a guy next time. But Freakazoid hardly felt finished. The thrill of combat brought the same euphoric glee that accompanied getting a new toy or watching the second part to a TV special. Freakazoid wanted to go out and play hero some more.

Even though he knew Dexter wouldn't like it he decided that it was the best thing to do because he could burn off the extra energy and he would be able to sleep. He was just being nice.

Freakazoid left the locker room. It started raining shortly after he left the school grounds, making it impossible for him to assume his electric form. That meant he had to travel around the old fashioned way; running with his hands out front like he was flying through the air. When the rain hardened Freakazoid dashed into a gas station. His black hair stuck to his face as the water forced it out of its naturally spiky state.

He looked over and waved to the attendant who stared uneasily at him. Freakazoid tried offering a smile but the man looked away; unknown to Freakazoid he was making sure his emergency bat was as close to him as possible. Browsing the snack choices, Freakazoid suddenly realized that he was hungry. He grabbed a bunch of delicious junk and headed for the counter. As he set it all down Freakazoid gathered the attendant's attention.

"Hey there…_Sandra_?" his eyebrow perked up as he observed the hairy older man.

"It is a family name", he stated with agitation.

"Okay Sandy", Freakazoid leaned against the counter, oblivious to the heat rising to the cashier's face. "I was wondering where you kept your bathroom? Before I buy all this stuff I need to dry off"

A woman came in clad in a thick coat with her head lowered under a hood. She kept her hands tucked in her pockets as she quickly bee lined for the counter. The cashier didn't notice her until she pushed her gun into his face. He put his hands up as the color left his face. Freakazoid turned to her with his hands on his hips.

"How rude! You can't just cut in line!"

Audrey removed her hood, eyes wide with surprise and disbelief. How is it she of all people bumped into this guy a second time on the job? She fired her gun at him, but to her surprise he dodged it.

His large gloved hand wrapped itself around hers and lifted it up; as much as she struggled she could not pull her hand free. He eyed her, trying to place where he'd seen her face.

"Freakazoid…" Audrey grunted as she continued to yank her hand. "Funny meeting you here"

"Um…how is that funny?" he questioned, rubbing his chin with his free hand in thought; then it hit him. "Aren't you more surprised than humored to run into me while committing a second act of dishonesty?"

"It's an expression", she grumbled

"Well it doesn't make any sense!"

"Look…Freakazoid…" Audrey softened her voice when his grip tightened; she noticed how strong he actually was as he accidentally clenched her hand. "I was just playing a little prank that's all…"

"Don't let her go!" the cashier instructed. "I'm calling the cops"

"What?" Audrey hissed. "C'mon! I just needed some free gas!"

"Nothing is free!" the man bellowed.

"Hugs are free!" Freakazoid quipped giddily.

Audrey knew they wouldn't let her out for a long time if she were to go in; she refused to go down getting caught like this. Setting her hand on Freakazoid's chest she gathered his attention. He looked down at her with a light pink hue dusting his nose. She smiled coyly as she instructed him to lean in closer.

"If you let me go I'll tell you a secret"

"Oh, I like secrets", he whispered as he leaned in.

"But you have to promise to let me go", she smiled sweetly as she pinched his blue cheek.

"But…that's not what heroes do", he told her with such honesty it made her stomach turn. "I may be playing a bit of hooky, but I'm not about to withhold justice"

"You brought this upon yourself"

Audrey brought her knee up as hard as she could, hitting him in every man's weak spot. Freakazoid released her and toppled over. He curled up on the floor and began rolling around as he suffered the worst pain he had ever felt. The cashier winced and looked away.

"Idiot!" she growled as she ran out the door. "I hope Gutierrez cuts you open when he catches you!"

Freakazoid planted a shaky hand on the floor and lifted himself off the ground enough to look after her as she fled. Catching his breath and trying to blink the tears from his eyes he realized that Audrey must have meant _Armondo Gutierrez_. Armondo Gutierrez was the CEO of the company that had created the pinnacle chip.

Was he looking for him? If he was then that meant he knew someone had activated the chip. '_Oh, duh or else he wouldn't be looking for me at all_', Freakazoid thought idly. He got to his feet and tried to shake the pain off. As he opened the door there was no sight of Audrey; she had escaped again.

Freakazoid opted to leave in defeat, but as he opened the door the cashier called out to him. He turned around to find the man was holding all of the things he had picked out. There was a gratuitous smile plastered on his face.

"On da house"

Freakazoid hugged the man, taking the food with him as he pulled away. It wasn't raining anymore outside. Freakazoid enjoyed the sugary treats as he headed home. Bit by bit as his hair dried it began to pop up in clumps till it resumed its natural shape.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away Audrey stood in a payphone. She had her hood pulled up to conceal her identity as she quickly dialed the number on Gutierrez's business card. He picked up after only two rings.

"Armondo Gutierrez. Since you have this number of mine I assume you have good information for me?" you could hear the smile playing on his lips through his tone.

"I just ran into the blue guy again"

"My dear, you had better not be trying to play me. I do not like tricks" he warned her.

"He's on banister street headed west", she turned away from the street as a cop car drove by. "Interestingly enough he let it slip that he was playing hooky. It looks like he's walking. Maybe Mr. Electricity can't travel by wire if he's wet"

"Ah", Gutierrez chuckled. "Then he is close to his nest. Audrey be a dear and find out where our little blue bird has flown from so that we can send him a friend to play with tomorrow, perhaps even one of a familiar color"

"It would be my pleasure sir"

((Authors Note))

Is anybody out there enjoying the story? I feel a little lonely over here in the Freakazoid fandome. Anyway, almost done writing the ending so I just have to edit the rest of the story. I'm having fun wether you guys read it or not so i'm probably going to make a series of it, introduce more characters and develop Freak's relationship with Steff.


	8. With Great Power Comes Great Responsibil

Chapter Eight: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Freakazoid climbed through Dexter's window before changing back. Dexter wiped the sugary filling stuck to the side of his face off as he slumped into his computer chair. He knew that it wasn't long now. Gutierrez was bound to find him. Why did Freakazoid have to just blurt things out? Dexter slammed his head on the desk, lightly banging his fist out of frustration.

'_Dexter calm down_' Freakazoid tried comforting him, but Dexter was nearly hyperventilating. '_I'm sorry…_'

"Sorry!" Dexter lifted his head up, eyes watery from anger. "So sorry that you strolled home eating free snacks?" in a fit Dexter threw everything from his desk; he hunched over himself in his chair, hands clawing at his scalp. "This is bad Freakazoid! He's going to find us! He's going to come after me…my family…"

'_I won't let him hurt you Dexter_' the tone in his voice was chilling, it's content binding.

"Yes…" what could he say that didn't sound mean; Freakazoid didn't mean to do dumb things, reason just wasn't in his nature. "Still…I should see what Roddy thinks"

'_Roddy Roddy Roddy…_' Freakazoid grumbled. '_Why don't you ask him out already?_'

"Don't be that way", he sighed as he booted his computer up.

Dexter was relieved to find Roddy responding quickly. His replies came as fast as Dexter sent them. The news was unsettling on both sides.

'_If he knows where to find you, you better be prepared lad. He's got resources'_

'_He can't know my identity…nobody knows but me and you'_

'_All he needs to know is where he can find you'_

'_He may have a clue'_

'_Then you'd better stay somewhere safe tomorrow'_

'_Right'_

Dexter shut down his computer. He would have to stay home tomorrow just to be safe. It would be easy enough to convince his parents he wasn't feeling well.

And it was. Before long Dexter found himself alone in the Douglas home. He sat at his computer just starring at the screen for awhile; something in his gut was turning. The more he sat and waited the more Dexter realized how pointless it all was. What were the odds Gutierrez was going to actually show up at the school? What, was he going to stroll in there and start asking questions?

His stomach growled so Dexter headed downstairs to make himself a snack. He got cozy with a seven layer turkey sandwich on the living room floor. What better way was there to burn time than to watch a little TV? He began surfing the limited channels as he shoved food into his mouth. If he was going to stay home Dexter figured he might as well try to relax a little, but halfway though his sandwich he found that he'd lost his appetite.

Suddenly Veronica Valentine appeared on the screen, her face alight with concern. Dexter took a moment to wonder why he had the feeling he'd met her somewhere, but shrugged it off when the words 'Harry Connick High school…' left her rosy red lips.

"What?" Dexter inched closer to the screen, eyes opened wide. "Oh…oh no…"

Shaky camera footage caught sight of a lumbering monster in the school windows. A few students who had managed to get outside were scattering out into the street. Veronica reached up to her earpiece as she received a call; by the expression of horror on her face the information she was receiving was nothing of a good nature.

"Citizens of Washington, it appears that students of Harry Connick Highschool are being held hostage inside the gym by the prehistoric terror Caveguy. Currently his motives are unknown, but we will keep you posted"

Dexter fell back on his hands, mouth agape. That monster was there looking for _him_. His classmates, as much as Dexter disliked most of them were in danger. Now he had a tough choice to make; Dexter could either play it safe at home or…

'_Let me go Dex!_'

"No…running around the city catching purse snatchers is one thing. Freakazoid, this is…something else entirely", Dexter ran his hand through his stringy hair as he pulled himself up onto the couch. "What if something goes wrong?"

'_Okay, rock paper scissors_?' he offered. "_You win we stay here I win we go there_"

"You know we can't physically do that", Dexter didn't want to say that it was because he didn't trust Freakazoid, but sometimes his super self didn't think things through logically; once he stopped listening to Dexter all reason seemed to fly out the window and he acted on impulse alone. "…Steff might be in there…he won't leave till he finds me, us- uh, _you_"

'_This is our chance Dex_'

Dexter stood, clenching his fists. Freakazoid wanted to earn the right to call himself a hero; it's all he'd spoken about since he began going out on patrol. Taking a step forwards, Dexter swallowed hard.

It was time. Today he knew he had to choose; it was either stay meek and helpless Dexter Douglas or embrace the idea that he was something more. He could be something _more_.

'_C'mon Dex_', Freakazoid tempted as he filled Dexter with adrenaline. '_C'mon, lemme out. Lemme out! I can do this!_'

"Only if you promise no one gets hurt", Dexter spoke through gritted teeth, weary of his choice but woefully accepting it.

'_Pinky swear'_

"Okay, Freak", He watched the screen for a moment realizing he was probably walking into a trap; Gutierrez either planned on him being there or showing up. "Just watch your back, okay?"

'_That's a physical impossibility, Dexter'_

"Oh, of course…" despite the situation Dexter chuckled. "Let's go"

…

In the gym the mood was a little less lighthearted; everyone coward on the bleachers. Caveguy lumbered back and forth, eyeing the students. He didn't know how he was supposed to figure out which one had powers. None of them were blue, or seemed brave or even defiant. They all shook like cowards. Well, except for one student. A girl with shoulder length blond hair that sat calmly, comforting her fellow students.

She would be the example.

Steff slowly turned her head as the blue beast suddenly stood over her. Her blue eyes opened wide as his behemoth sized hand reached down for her. Holding tight to her petite waist Caveguy lifted her up. But Steff did not scream as she tried to tug herself free. She kept herself well composed, he'd give her that.

"Young lady, what is your name?" his eloquent voice was marred by his malicious intent.

"My friends call me Steff", she spoke softly out of fear.

"Do I look like your friend _Steffanie_?" he growled; when she shook her head he grinned crookedly. "Good. You seem like a rather intelligent youth, you don't have the same vacant stare as your classmates. Tell me, where can I find the boy I'm looking for?"

"Boy?" she meekly questioned; what would this guy want with a kid at her school? "I wouldn't be inclined to turn anyone over if you were going to hurt them"

"If I do not find this Freakazoid then I will be inclined to harm _you_"

"I've never met a Freakazoid" she meekly answered.

"Then unfortunately for you, you are useless to me", he lifted her up and grinned at the pure horror in her face.

Steff let out a sharp shriek as he threw her. Everyone watched as she flew across the gym in horror. No one dared stand to help her. She shut her eyes and waited for impact, missing the lightning shooting from the lights, shifting into a figure flying towards her.

The blow that came was not hard, but soft and giving; she was cradled into a broad chest and excused a misfortunate fate. As he came to a stop bits of electricity still clung to his figure. Freakazoid gave the young woman in his arms an assuring squeeze; Steff gasped and opened her eyes, looking up at her savor with gratitude. Gently, he helped her to her feet; Steff stood on shaky legs with her knees slightly bent inwards. Her lips parted to speak, but he pressed his finger against them. Freakazoid smiled playfully, bringing a slight blush to Steff's face before he turned his attention to Caveguy.

Caveguy was big, strong and blue; way to steal a guy's act.

"Hey! It's like looking into a funhouse mirror and seeing a bigger, uglier version of myself", Freakazoid quipped as he stopped just a few feet from the towering brute. "I believe _I'm_ the droid you're looking for"

"So you do exist?" the monster man commented in awe. "I was beginning to believe I had been sent on a fool's errand"

"Yeah, I know why you're here", Freakazoid pointed. "You came a lookn for me", he bounced around a bit with a smug grin slapped across his face. "But you're gonna wish you hadn't"

When Caveguy stepped forwards, the ground shook. He towered over Freakazoid, a behemoth among normal men. Luckily, Freakazoid wasn't human. The blow that connected with a fist wider than his shoulders knocked him back. Steff dashed to one side to avoid being hit by Freakazoid's tumbling body.

"Take two!" Freakazoid shouted as he flipped back onto his feet.

The student body starred in awe at the spectacle before them. Rumors had been going around the school of a blue kid jumping one of the football players in the locker room, but nobody could bring themselves to believe it. Yet here he was real as anything else.

Freakazoid charged Caveguy, directing all his strength into ramming his shoulder straight into his big blue gut. The blow knocked him clear off his feet; he hit the opposite wall, eyes wide and slowly turning red. He roared a beastly noise as he pulled himself from the debris and swung a mighty anger driven blow.

This time Freakazoid was prepared. His heels broke through the wooden floor as he absorbed the weight. Grinding his teeth Freakazoid fought against Caveguy's strength even as his legs began to give out. In his moment of weakness, when he was about to break Freakazoid heard Dexter call out to him.

'_You can't out muscle him Freak, think outside of the box!_'

Freakazoid grinned as an idea struck him. Even though it would drain him a little Freakazoid released a charge. Electricity surged from his upper body and paralyzed his foe. As Caveguy began to topple over, Freakazoid bent down and leapt up with his fist raised.

"Sherukin!" he landed lightly and laughed. "Or rather Shuru-cannot!"

Flying back, Caveman hit the floor and lay motionless. Freakazoid thrust his arms above his head and cheered triumphantly. He got so caught up in the minor victory he didn't see the clawed hand reaching for him till his feet were pulled out from under him. Most of what followed was a blur; naturally, it's hard to follow what's going on when you're being smashed against the floor like a rag doll.

"Pompous little man", the monster growled as he flung his body across the gym. "I will bring you to Gutierrez in pieces!"

As Freakazoid picked himself up he felt feminine hands wrap around his forearm; looking up he saw Steff worriedly trying to help him to his feet. Smiling as to not worry her, Freakazoid did his best to pick himself up. Before he could utter a thank you he felt the tremors of Caveguy's approach. His head turned from Steff to Caveguy several times before he opted to push her out of the way and take the blow entirely.

"Get everyone out!" she heard him call with his last breath before the wind got knocked out of him.

Steff didn't want to leave him alone, but she knew as long as everyone was still here they were in danger. She quickly encouraged everyone to escape while the beastly man was distracted. Everybody stampeded out of the gymnasium, startling the cops as the teens climbed over the hoods of their car boundary. Steff was the last one out of the school; she stopped just outside the entrance as she heard the clashing from inside, hoping her hero was okay.

"Miss!" Veronica called out as she daringly approached the school to interview Steff. "Is it true you were in the middle of the bout currently going on inside Harry Connick High?"

Steff had to start her brain up to answer the question; when she spoke her voice was shaky. "Somewhat…but we- I was rescued"

"Are you saying there is a single person, a _boy_, who is fending off the monstrous terror known as Caveguy?" Veronica eagerly shoved her microphone into Steff's face.

"Yes", Steff answered with an unnoticeable hue dusting her face. "There is…"

"And what is his name?"

"His name…" the first thing that came to her was that of his finger pressed gently against her lips. "Freakazoid. His name is Freakazoid."

"Excuse me!" a paramedic rushed to Steff's side and wrapped a blanket around her; he began ushering her away from the school. "This young lady needs to be examined; she was manhandled by that monster"

"Oh, no" Steff tried to assure them she was fine. "He caught me. I'm perfectly fine! Someone should go in there and help Freakazoid!"

The paramedic pulled Steff into the ambulance for examination; when she began spinning tales of a blue teenage boy wearing a red suit with super strength they diagnosed her with a concussion. But, Veronica knew better. She'd met this masked stranger before. _Twice_ in fact.

'_Freakazoid!_' Dexter's voice grew louder the weaker he got. '_Freak, if we don't figure something out I think we might switch back_'

"Yeah, I don't think tag teaming this one is such a good idea Dex", Freakazoid panted as he kneeled behind a counter. "Don't worry…I can beat him…"

'_Don't rely on your strength so much. It won't make a difference if he's just as strong as you are_'

"Right…" Freakazoid grinned as he noticed the outlet for the beakers on the side of the counter. "Knowledge is the greatest power of all after all… aside from telekinesis. Which would be an awesome power to have" he limped to the outlet, picking up the pace as he felt the tremors from Caveguy's approach. "Lucky for us I am a master trickster and I a-know a little trick of my own"

As Caveguy's large blue hand wrapped around the doorframe of the open lab Freakazoid reached the outlet and vanished in a flash of light. Caveguy forced himself through the doorway, looking around with dark circles beneath his eyes. He was done playing games; his jaw was still sore from that uppercut. No one had ever matched him in strength, especially just some kid. It was rather _annoying_.

"I know you're here old boy", he breathed. "Haven't you grown tired of fighting? Turning yourself in is the brighter option"

The lights flickered. They died and then ignited in light, growing brighter until the bulbs exploded. Caveguy was forced to look down and shield his eyes as glass and plastic rained down. Freakazoid leapt from the surge and wound back a charged fist; he used the remainder of his strength to execute the finishing blow.

And when the smoke cleared and the big guy lay unconscious on the floor Freakazoid took a knee. He was a little banged up, bit of blue showing through the tears in his costume and he was certain his bottom lip was swollen. It was a long walk to the front of the school, but he wanted to make sure.

He'd kept his promise to Dexter. Now he wanted to make sure Steff was okay.

Freakazoid stumbled through the threshold of the school's entrance; he felt the sun on his skin and heard the ambient noises of a silent crowd. When he looked across the sidewalk he saw men in blue, the students wrapped in blankets and a…_microphone_? Veronica held it in his face with urgency; she wore a grin that spread from one ear to the other.

"Why hello again hero", she practically sang. "I do believe I'm going to call in that favor you owe me"

"I…" Freakazoid slouched, exhausted and hungry; the last thing he wanted to do was answer questions. "I'm really tired…can't I get a rain check or something?"

"Nope, now perk up blue guy you're about to be on TV!" she summoned her camera man and quickly fixed herself up; Freakazoid stood beside her with a rather dower expression. "Hello everybody, as you can see the terror at Harry Connick Highschool has come to an end. Who is this masked youth standing beside me you may ask? Well, he's not just a crazy kid in tights, Freakazoid is Washington's new threat against injustice", as she went through her passionate spiel Veronica hardly noticed the confused look on Freakazoid's face. "So Freakazoid, what do you have to say to the wrongdoers of Washington or even the world?"

He unexpectedly found himself speechless, his hand running through his hair idly. Freakazoid searched the interwebs for the right thing to say, but nothing seemed appropriate. Then he saw the only obsession he had ever known; Steff had been allowed to leave the medic area and was standing as close as she could, watching him. A smile formed on his face. Maybe it was because he was so tired and banged up, but a little Dexter came out of him. He knew what to say.

"Everybody has their purpose in life", he locked eyes with Steff for a moment and it warmed his insides that she didn't look away. "I've just found mine. Excuse me"

"Hey…wait!" Veronica ceased calling after him when she noticed what he was headed for. "Oh…I see…Ricardo, I think that's a wrap"

The feed cut on Freakazoid walking towards the crowd; but only if you were in Veronica's perspective could you see exactly where he was headed. She giggled at the thought of young love. Officers began escorting a barely conscious Caveguy out of the school; he was cuffed, gagged and sedated. Yellow tape blocked the entrance and crushed her dreams of getting some shots of the damaged school.

Steff tugged idly at the blanket around her, pulling it tighter around her frame. She darted her eyes back and forth as Freakazoid came to a stop just a few feet in front of her. Gnawing at his lip he pondered what to say to her now that she was standing there looking at him with those big blue eyes of hers.

The people around them watched the two interact, none more than a strange girl with short black pigtails; she bore no expression, but seemed focused on their conversation. She went unnoticed to the both of them as Freakazoid drew all his attention to steff.

He forgot about everything else, even Dexter. His other half was currently buried beneath his own overwhelming personality. Freakazoid rejuvenated with every second of rest he got and the better he felt the less he heard of Dexter. By the time he engaged Steff in a conversation Dexter was the last thing on his mind.

"You should see the medic", Steff avoided eye contact as she brushed her hair behind her ear. "That brute hit you pretty hard"

"Eh. He wasn't _that_ strong", after an accusing stare from Steff he bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, he was pretty strong. But, I'm fine really. Are you okay Steff?"

She stared at him for a moment, wondering how it was he knew her name. Looking at him she felt his features were somewhat familiar, but couldn't ground her suspicions. Shrugging it off, Steff smiled at his concern. It was sweet.

"Thanks to you nothing happened to me"

"I can make that a regular thing", he joked, taking a small step closer to her. "I…uh, I mean…with everything that's happened…" Freakazoid scratched his head as it itched; but any thought of what that meant dissipated the moment he looked into her blue eyes. "I could walk you home. Make sure you get there safely?"

It was an old fashioned notion. Oddly, coming from him it was also an appealing one. She only lived a couple blocks away anyway.

"So…is Freakazoid your _real _name?" she asked as they left the crime scene.

"Yepper!" he chimed proudly.

"Oh, it's just…I thought maybe it was a codename", her eyes darted to his face and then down to the sidewalk as she hoped her next question wasn't too invasive. "Your skin…it isn't paint is it?"

"Nooooooooooo"

"That's interesting", she commented. "Are you an alien?"

"No…"

Steff felt horrible asking him so many questions, but she was so curious. When he looked back at her she offered him an apologetic smile. He grinned bashfully in return. It didn't seem like he minded at all.

"How is it you knew my name?" the question had been itching to get out and since she couldn't find a way to wheedle it into the situation she figured she'd just outright ask it. "Do I…know you?"

"Yes and no", Freakazoid kicked the ground, a slight blush rising to his face.

"I suppose you wouldn't tell me who you really are?" she giggled, shifting her walk so that she was a little closer to him.

"If I could I would" he told her softly. "I'll tell you anything else though"

She turned red instantly, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle as she looked away. Freakazoid leaned over to try and see what she found so amusing. When she looked back up at him, tucking her hair behind her ear Steff was a little more composed. Something about this stranger was attractive. He was honest, somewhat childish and noble.

"Okay, I won't pass up that gracious offer", she flipped her hair as she turned to him; her hands folded behind her back. "What do you like?"

"I like you", he told her with a childlike honesty.

Oddly, Steff could not think of a single question afterward. She watched the ground as they walked up her driveway. Turning away and fiddling with her hair Steff tried to hide the smile that spread across her face. Something warm grew in the pit of her stomach and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She couldn't stop blushing as Freakazoid trailed behind her like a love stricken puppy. He wasn't even playing hard to get the way he smiled whenever he looked at her, but it wasn't weird. In some odd way, Steff found the super teens affection flattering. Freakazoid wasn't like other boys, aside from the blue skin. There was a childlike honesty to him that was different…and sweet.

She reached the steps to her veranda and noticed her steps were the only ones as she ascended towards her front door. Freakazoid stood bashfully at the bottom of the stairs, his arms behind his back, eyes averted, twisting his toe; it was adorable. He looked up when he noticed movement; her slender palm was invitingly outstretched. Freakazoid quirked his head like a dog receiving praise and leapt up to take her hand. His footing slipped a little on the creaky boards and he nearly toppled the two of them over.

Her hand didn't leave his. There was a moment of awkward silence when he just looked into her eyes. They were so big, beautiful and blue, and wonderful and blue. Gotten so momentarily lost in them he hadn't noticed how close she was getting till her warm breath softly brushed his face. He pulled back a little. Steff giggled, reaching up to gently slide her fingers into his static hair. She held his head, bringing him back to her; tilting her head to the side to offer him a tender kiss.

For the first time since his creation Freakazoid felt he understood what it was to be human; his insides were warm and gooey like a freshly baked soufflé, his heart was beating against the cavity of his chest like a caveman beating in the head of a saber tooth tiger. A different kind of adrenaline was pumping through his body. How he wanted it to last forever.

"Thanks…for saving me", Steff whispered when she reluctantly pulled away. "You're very brave"

"I…uh…" Freakazoid couldn't find the right words to explain himself; all he could think of, all he could see was her smile. "You're welcome"

He leaned in to kiss her again, but she giggled and bashfully pulled away.

"Goodbye Freakazoid" she tenderly let his hand slip as she turned. "I hope to see you again sometime"

"Yeah…" he took a step backwards, nearly losing his footing on the old steps. "Sometime…"

Sometime soon hopefully.

((Author's Note))

Yeah! Action and a Kissing scene! Don't expect too much more Freak and Steff till maybe the end of the story, i've got to work on wrapping this bad boy up and figure out an ending. I always have trouble getting to the ending. Anyways, words of encouragement or advice are welcomed as always.

And remember...Hugbees is fun to say. Hugbees. Hugbees...Hugbees...


	9. Love and War and Freakazoid

Chapter Nine: Love and War and Freakazoid

Harry Connick High was closed for reservations the rest of the week. Authorities were questioned for simply letting Freakazoid walk away from the scene without interrogating him in the slightest. Everything they knew about the blue skinned boy was in Veronica's brief interview. But, no one was reprimanded for malpractice considering he had over a hundred eye witnesses willing to vouch for him, including one in particular that he directly saved.

Steff couldn't stop talking or thinking about him. Whenever she began to move onto something else her mind would go back to their _moment_ together on the veranda. It was unusual for her to want to kiss someone she barely knew, but something about him was just so familiar. The comparison couldn't be connected but she knew in the back of her mind that face of his reminded her of somebody. Somebody she'd known for a long time even.

Opening her temporary home school packet Steff tried her best to focus on her work. Everyone was going to the drive-in tonight and she desperately wanted to indulge her current infatuated state with the newly released romance film. But, it was hard to follow the photocopied notes for the math. Steff was a clever girl, but math had never been her best subject; sometimes she would call in a favor from Dexter to sit with her in the library and help her out, but that was hardly an option now. Oh well, she'd have to figure it out on her own.

Dexter flipped his packet for the week closed; he'd been working on it to keep his mind busy. The news kept showing the interview with Freakazoid and Dexter inwardly cursed himself for not being able to control him in the slightest. How was it Freakazoid could play Dexter like a puppet, but he could barely verbalize warnings? How was that fair?

His head fell heavily into his hands as a fuzzy memory kept breaking into his thoughts. Bits and pieces came out clearly to Dexter, mostly just the part where Steff kissed him. No, she kissed Freakazoid. What hurt the most was that Freakazoid had chased after her affection. It seemed to fit Dexter's bio that even his own self betrayed him. He'd loved Steff his whole life and in the matter of a day she was in love with his alter ego.

But she was a teenage girl and Dexter clung to the hope that it was just a teenage girl's crush. Her infatuation with Freakazoid would hopefully prove to be fleeting; if she spent an entire day with him he'd probably drive her crazy anyway. Dexter slouched in his chair trying to ignore his headache. Freakazoid was dreaming.

Closing his eyes Dexter found he could make out bits and pieces. However, the dream was less innocent than the ice cream and cotton candy clouds Dexter had suspected. Red came to his face in a mixed bout of jealousy and anger as Dexter realized he was dreaming of Steff.

Now Steff was by no means Dexter's girlfriend or the hanging out type of friend, but he _loved_ her. Freakazoid was just absorbing what he felt, his mind twisting it and making the feeling his own. He didn't love Steff; he just wanted her impulsively like he wanted everything else. In that perspective Freakazoid was such a kid.

It seemed that even when it came to getting superpowers Dexter found himself on the short end of the stick. Freakazoid adored him, he didn't doubt that, but when they switched it was like everything went dark; the place Dexter found himself was a state of being between awake and asleep. Somehow he felt like Freakazoid didn't suffer the same way when Dexter was in charge. This worried him. It left Dexter with a frightening question.

Was Freakazoid becoming the dominant personality?

…

"He's stronger than I suspected…" Gutierrez stroked his chin as he leaned back thoughtfully in his swivel chair. "But he cannot be invincible. Every man has his kryptonite"

The lights flickered as shadows formed beneath his eyes. He wanted to harness that power at any cost. Gutierrez was certain he would find a way because he always got what he wanted.

"Apparently he doesn't like negatively charged graphite bars", Audrey sighed.

"How do you know that?" Longhorn growled.

"He told me. Guy's an open book once you get him talking"

Gutierrez nodded with a sinister smile. She was proving her worth after all. He got up and strolled across the small darkly lit room, his steps slow and filled with purpose.

"Our foe is unwise, but strong…therefore we must lure him to us", he chuckled darkly as he clenched his fist; his eyes falling on Deadpan. "Have you any good news for me my darling?"

"Fascinating details, yes", she flatly stated. "After the incident Freakazoid seamed rather engaged in a conversation", her body shifted as she spoke till she resembled an exact duplicate of Steff. "Lovely, isn't she?"

Gutierrez rested his hand on Deadpan's shoulder, giving her a gentle pat of approval; his fingers reached up to idly play with the silky blonde hair that fell about the girl's shoulders. She _was_ lovely; exactly what he'd been hoping for. He began building a slow chuckle.

"Yes, I will have you in my grasp very soon Freakazoid", he laughed louder; briefly stopping to slam his fist onto the table shouting angrily. "Laugh with me!"

His accomplices laughed lightly alongside him to appease his anger.

…

At the dinner table Dexter said very little. He just sat hunched over his food nibbling on his mother's dry meatloaf and poking the limp side salad. Nobody really noticed. A car horn sounded from the driveway; Duncan instantaneously stood and punched Dexter in the shoulder on his way out of the kitchen.

"Aren't you going to finish your food?" Mrs. Douglas called after her son.

"I'll fill up on popcorn and snacks at the drive-in", he replied as he slammed the front door shut.

Dexter rubbed his arm as he listened to the car pull out of the driveway. Sometimes he wondered if his parents just completely ignored what Duncan did or just didn't care enough to say anything. Well, no sense going to _that_ dark place. Still, Dexter wasn't really that hungry so he put his fork down and focused on the point of impact.

'_See? You should have let me beat him up_'

"Yeah, cause you always have my back"

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Douglas questioned as she turned to her son. "Dexter dear…did you say something?"

He felt his face turn red so Dexter hid as much of it as he could with his hair. People were going to start thinking he was crazy if he kept talking to himself all the time. His mother reached over and rested her slender hand on his wrist.

"Could you uh, pass the mac?" Dexter's meek rebuttal barely reached his mother's ears.

"You seem upset", she looked concerned as she handed him the bowl. "Still feeling sick?"

"Yeah", he replied morbidly while excusing himself. "I think I'll go to bed"

"Okay dear", she set the bowl down looking a little confused.

His reply had been enough to appease her. She went back to eating as Dexter left the kitchen, his hand sluggishly dragging along the rail as he went. Dexter locked his door and went to his bed. At first he just sat there starring into nothing. Then he heard the meek chatter of his inner self.

"I don't feel good", he lied. "No…it's not because of Duncan…it's not…no. No. No!"

Dexter screamed as he smacked his pillow to the floor. Rage bubbled inside of him where the one person he wanted to keep in the dark would see, but he couldn't help himself. It was all too much; the powers, the secrets, the bad guys and the whole thing with Steff. He was used to a mundane life where nothing ever happened, not this new existence where everything happened at once every two minutes.

Right now he just wanted to be alone. "Just drop it! I don't want to talk about it!"

'_Why so mad Huggbee_?' Freakazoid mumbled pathetically. '_Did I do something?_'

_Really_? Dexter nearly erupted right then and there, but with the sacrifice of some enamel he pulled back. His teeth were grinding with such force that for a moment he really thought he might chip a tooth. Freakazoid retreated further into his subconscious; apparently he didn't like the feeling being directed at him.

'_Dexter…Dexter I…_'

"Shut up for once will ya?" he snapped. "I don't want to talk to you right now! Not a word, just let me sleep and think and not talk to myself for five minutes"

Dexter felt his other half shrivel into the furthest reaches of his mind. For just a moment the emptiness inside him left Dexter a little lonely, a little regretful. He considered sitting down at his computer, but he'd had enough of the _internet_ at the moment. Maybe he'd just lay down for awhile.

…

Dexter found himself at the threshold of Harry Connick Highschool. The double doors creaked open, beckoning him. With caution Dexter ventured forwards into the empty hallway shaded in grey. As he made his way further into the school things began to change, blank faced figures appeared at the lockers in color. They all turned to him as he passed by.

Every step was silent. Dexter could hear nearly nothing, just the feint white noise in the distance that somewhat resembled the hum of his computer. Everything grew cold. He saw his meek breath solidify into feint clouds.

Thwack!

The sudden booming sound startled Dexter, made him turn around. Looking down the hallway he saw them. All of them were looking with their faceless countenance. The crowd blocked the hallway leading to the now closed entrance. His heart began to race. The sound of it filled the air.

Da-dum…Da-dum…Da-dum…Da-dum

The faceless people walked forwards and Dexter did the first thing that came to mind. He ran. He ran as fast as his twiggy awkward years legs would carry him. They pursued in a silent fashion, the whole crowd moving as one. No matter how hard Dexter ran they moved closer, even at their slow walking pace.

Dexter tripped over his own feet trying to look over his shoulder. Suddenly they were all around him, just hovering, looking down with their blank faces. He watched the emptiness change to computer screens. A sequence Dexter did not recognize was typed onto the screen. One of them reached down to grab him, but Dexter swatted their hand away.

He saw that his hand was gloved in white fabric and followed it to his chest where he saw something more familiar; Freakazoid's symbol. Looking up he saw that the sequence on their faces were slowly being deleted. With every symbol's disappearance a little more of himself faded away, replaced by red.

When Dexter tried to scream nothing came out. He just heard pounding; constant pounding from all around him. It was like an inescapable pressure binding his body immovable. Wires sprung from the floor and coiled around his body, tightened around his frail neck. The pounding grew louder. And louder. AND LOUDER.

Then nothing.

…

A loud gasp escaped Dexter as he awoke. To his relief there was no one trying to kick his door down. Wiping his damp face Dexter tried to calm down and still his sporadic heart. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and took a moment's pause before he stood. Dexter clambered over to the door and sloppily undid the lock.

His heart was beating so fast, Dexter figured something must be wrong with him. He stumbled into the bathroom and locked the door. Dexter tried to splash some water on his face, wash off the sweat. The counter felt nice against his skin, its cool temperature easing his burning flesh.

"Please let there be something in here", he muttered while rummaging through the cabinet for medicine; Dexter removed a bottle of aspirin. "Well, a couple of these are better than nothing"

After taking the pills Dexter returned to his room. The pace of his heart started to slow as he sat in his chair to relax. As Dexter exhaled a soothing breathe, he felt the gentle tickle of intrusion. Freakazoid was peeking around the corners of his mind, trying to watch him. It was oddly comforting knowing he was there.

"Freakazoid", he muttered softly. "Freakazoid I know you're there"

There was nothing at first, then a soft '_Oh_'

"I…" Dexter wasn't sure what to say, he wanted to make amends without bringing up why he was upset in the first place. "Um"

'_Are you still mad?_' Freakazoid whimpered softly, sounding pathetically like a kicked puppy.

Dexter rubbed the bridge of his nose wondering himself if he was still mad or not. "I…um, well…a little…" it felt wrong to lie. "Just a little…"

Dexter heard the front door open and slam downstairs. Duncan was home. As he heard his older brother's heavy steps up the stairs Dexter rushed to his bedroom door and turned the lock just as he began to turn the handle. The doorknob jiggled somewhat violently as Duncan tried to force it open. Wearily Dexter backed away from the door and sat quietly on his bed hoping Duncan would give up.

"Hey ya little twink!" Duncan growled, his words slightly slurring together. "C'mon out here!"

Not making a peep Dexter watched the handle slowly stop moving; Duncan had given up. His older brother muttered something under his breath and lumbered away. A soft sigh of relief left the meek teen as he let himself fall back onto his bed. That would have been the last thing he needed atop everything else.

'_I don't like you brother'_ Freakazoid grumbled, his words leaving him like a low growl. '_Someone should teach him a little humility_'

"Not you", Dexter whispered as if Duncan were listening at his door. "You'd probably kill him"

'_Heroes don't kill_' Freakazoid was so serious it made Dexter smile and forget for a moment he was upset.

"No they don't", he replied softly.

It felt nice Dexter realized, to have someone who was there for him when nobody else could be. Freakazoid could smooth out the bumps in the road of Dexter's life as easily as he could make them. Though to be fair when Freakazoid made bumps they were more like ramps. Not that a few bumps or ramps mattered much, Dexter's life had always been a road filled with potholes.

"Wow…" Dexter mumbled. "That train of thought made no sense"

'_Made sense to me_'

"Pfft", Dexter scoffed jokingly. "You'll make sense of anything"

'_Guilty!_'

There was a pause where the two felt each other slowly build a smile. It was the closest thing to a true brotherly bond Dexter had ever felt. They were no longer arguing, but enjoying each other's company. The boys laughed together for the first time.

((Author's Note))

About time those boys got along, eh? Only a few chapters left and the first book of the Glitch series will be complete!


	10. Liking Yourself

Chapter Ten: Liking Yourself

Students enjoyed their time away from having to go to school and even more so when they ignored the home school packets provided by their instructors. It had been a little more than a week and renovations were rapidly reaching completion much to the dismay of the lot. This included Dexter Douglas.

Surprisingly enough Dexter had spent less time on his computer than he would have thought as Freakazoid encouraged him to get out of the house even if it was to visit Roddy. Lately Dexter had been easing into further involvement in understanding his alter ego because, well, it didn't seem like Freakazoid was going anywhere.

He left in the mornings for what his parents believed to be driving lessons they had signed him up for when they filled out his enrollment paperwork for the year. God, they never questioned anything. Dexter found himself starring out the window as Roddy backed out of the driveway. A strange form of contentment was on his face, which showed itself through a passive smile. Roddy saw him nod his head ever so slightly, an indication that perhaps he was having a pleasant or at least amusing conversation with Freakazoid.

It was a relieving notion that the two boys were getting along. Roddy drove on in silence and let them have their private time. His new hideout wasn't too far either way.

"You're awfully quiet Roddy", Dexter asked timidly after a few minutes.

"I dun tink this is a three way conversation, lad", he jokingly replied.

"Oh", a sheepish blush sneaked onto Dexter's face as he cracked a crooked grin. "Sorry we were just…talking about the clouds"

Now Dexter knew how silly it sounded, but he'd told Roddy the truth anyways. Even when the manly Scotsman threw him a questioningly glance he said nothing demeaning to Dexter. Instead the idea swam around his mind for a moment and then settled somewhere in the past. He'd watch the clouds in his youth as well. There wasn't anything silly about that.

"Now is the time we should treasure", his tone was soft but foreboding. "Right now we dun know what's going to happen so whatever makes the two of you happy"

Dexter found that he was smiling, for the both of them as he quietly went back to looking out the window. He wished Freakazoid could fly so they could go up there. Freakazoid agreed with Dexter.

"We're here lad"

Roddy was half way out of the car before Dexter registered the comment with a distant "What?"

"C'mon…watching clouds is fine- on yer own time. But we got work to do ya know"

"Right", Dexter fumbled with his seatbelt and scuttled after Roddy who had already disappeared around the corner of the hangar. "I'm coming, I…"

Roddy was already disappearing through a side entrance as winded Dexter caught up to him. The Scotsman smiled and joked about how out of shape the teenager was and Dexter reminded him that Freakazoid was the one with all the muscle. They both laughed about it as they headed into the main work area.

"Please lad, try not to blow the fuses this time", Roddy pleaded as he helped Dexter get comfortable in the examination chair. "It wunt easy ta move all my stuff to a new location"

"Yeah, Gutierrez was clever to start monitoring electrical surges", he paused as reminded himself of all the restrictions he faced in his own home now. "How clever and very, very oh so very annoying of him"

"Installed new circuit breakers", Roddy pointed out. "Should absorb whatever the Freak dishes out as long as it's nothing tew ridiculous"

"Hear that?"

'_Loud and clear_' Freakazoid chanted. '_Gotta flex my muscles softly_'

Dexter smiled as he laid his head back and tried to get comfortable as Roddy began sticking little white sensors on his head. He folded his hands, closed his eyes and listened for the soothing hum of Roddy's computer. Gentle pulses washed over Dexter as the machine read his vitals.

"Okay lad, everything's stable", Roddy lowered his goggles as he gave Dexter the go ahead. "If this works you may be able to figure out how to have a little more control over Freakazoid"

Dexter nodded, inhaled a gentle breath and exhaled "Freak out"

"Hey there Roddy, that's a nice skirt you got on today", Freakazoid commented innocently; how much Roddy wasn't quite sure. "What does that thing do?"

Freakazoid tried to sit up, but Roddy was besides him in a flash gripping his shoulders to keep him steady. As gently as he could, he eased the jittery boy back to a lying position. Freakazoid smiled at his mentor with the innocence of a child as he was told to stay still.

"The more you move the less accurate the reading will be", he explained as he tip-toed backwards to his computer; once Roddy was certain Freakazoid was staying put he started the program. "Now just try n relax laddie"

The wires sent pulses to Freakazoid in a language he somehow understood. It was soothing and quickly helped aid him into a blissful slumber. He opened his eyes, finding himself lying on his red couch instead of the stiff chair Roddy had provided. Freakazoid grabbed his remote to try and watch some TV, but a voice startled him. Dropping the remote, which bounced softly on the couch Freakazoid listened for the sound to return.

It was feint, but familiar. Freakazoid stood and wandered out of the main area of the Freak-a-zone towards the mysterious sound. He found a door, just a plain old white door; a locked plain old white door. Jiggling the handle Freakazoid found it to be either locked or stuck.

"Hm", he questioned, scratching his head. "It's uh, stuck I guess"

"Took you that long to figure it out?" Dexter's voice squeaked from the other side.

"Woah!" Freakazoid sounded concerned as he reamed the door with his shoulder, trying to open it. "Huggbee! Is that you on the other side of the door?"

"Stop calling me Huggbee", Dexter muttered.

"Oh, it is you!" Freakazoid cheered as he tried using his head- to no avail -to open the door. "Ooooo…ow…ouchies…"

"Be careful over there", Dexter instructed as he tried turning the knob from his side. "Ack! It won't open!"

Dexter pulled and he pushed but the door refused to budge. It seemed that perhaps this obstruction was the factor separating their minds, keeping Freakazoid from hearing him clearly. But, opening it couldn't be impossible. There just had to be a way to get on the other side of that door.

"Maybe it's nothing physical strength can abolish" Dexter reasoned through panted breathes. "It's all mental…You know like writer's block or something"

Freakazoid made some kind of agreeing sound on the other side of the door. He reached up and felt the surface of it with his hand, searching his near endless resources for an answer. There really wasn't one for a situation like this. All the boys could do was mark the door as their problem and brainstorm a way around it.

"What's it like in there Dexter?" Freakazoid asked as he sat with his back to the door.

"Just my room, you know, empty…quiet…there are a lot of sealed boxes though", Dexter idly commented as he stared at his toes. "It's not lit well over here either. Almost dark in places", he felt Freakazoid's concern breach the barrier and tried to steer the subject away from himself. "You? What's it like on your side?"

"A couch and a TV…and a lamp", Freakazoid replied with pride.

"That's it?" Dexter questioned. "There's got to be…_something_ else", he pressed his back to the door, turning his head over his shoulder to speak. "Are you in a room?"

"Nah, it's a wide open space…a lotta white", Freakazoid looked off into the distance to where the white began to fade to grey; he never wandered that far. "Hey Dex…"

"Yeah, Freakazoid?"

"I'm sorry I kissed Steff"

At first Dexter thought he heard him wrong, but the words quickly sunk in. As Freakazoid's apology registered Dexter wondered why now of all times and places? Freakazoid let out a sigh on the other side of the door; was he relieved? Dexter honestly hadn't been so sure Freakazoid had even realized that Dexter was upset about the whole ordeal or aware of it for that matter.

"Why do you like her so much?" Dexter meekly asked.

"Me?" Freakazoid quickly recognized how silly a question that was "The same reasons as you I guess…she's pretty and she stands up for you"

That surprised Dexter. Mostly it surprised him because Freakazoid considered how other people treated him when he decided if he liked them or not. Steff was a sweet girl, who was nice to him despite his status at school. If Freak liked her for those reason it was difficult Dexter reasoned to be angry with him. Deep down the two teens were _technically_ the same person. The last few days, including this particular meeting had proven it to Dexter.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you"

He felt a gentle wisp of air and bumped into something slightly softer than the door. The two boys turned to face each other for the first time. They slowly stood, each on their own side of the threshold separating their minds just starring at the other. Dexter looked down at the doorframe and back up to Freakazoid. Freakazoid mirrored Dexter's movements. A crooked smile spread across their faces as they stepped forwards and embraced one another.

Their worlds were now one. Both boys felt a gentle link tug at the two of them as they pulled apart. As Dexter took in the sight of Freakazoid's meek quarters and Freak bashfully joined he felt something tickle his ankle. Out of the corner of his eye Dexter thought he caught a shadow slither by the two of them, but when he looked saw nothing. He was feeling drowsy, perhaps he had imagined it; Dexter wobbled backwards a bit. Freakazoid reached out worriedly to catch him, but was too late. Dexter hit the ground.

Dexter's eyes shot open. "Roddy?"

"Aye, lad", he carefully removed the devices from Dexter. "I suspect the merger was a success? The readings indicated a sync between yer two frequencies"

"Yeah…" Dexter whispered in a far away tone. "We did some bonding…I think this whole thing's going to work out Roddy"

"That's good ta hear laddie", he replied tenderly as he hoisted spindly Dexter out of the chair. "So…you ave an alter ego, an a slew of villains after em", Roddy smirked as he patted Dexter on the back, nearly toppling the poor boy over with the intended playful gesture. "What's the plan, eh?"

"I suppose Freak can handle whatever comes our way", Dexter smiled wistfully as Roddy pulled him into a playful noogie.

"That's the fighter's spirit!" Roddy cheered, releasing Dex and laughing heartily as he stumbled about. "Beneath those bones lies the heart of an honest man, a good man. A heroic man"

"I'm not sure heroic is the right word…" Dexter chuckled as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Freak's the heroic one. I'm just the reluctantly willing vessel…like a much less intelligent Bruce Banner"

"Will yew ever give yerself credit lad?" Roddy joked with a sideways smirk.

"Maybe someday", the boy replied as he starred off into space.

"Well if you're interested in today, I have Intel that suggests Gutierrez has some activity going on in the city", he waved a paper at Dexter tauntingly. "I've got the coordinates right here and everything"

Dexter took the note and read it over once. Yeah, something was going on over there, the power being directed to that place was ridiculous. He nodded to Roddy.

"Me and Freak should check it out then. See ya Roddy", Dexter took a step back to give Roddy some distance from the transformation. "Freak out!"

Freakazoid leapt forwards and gave Roddy a bear hug before running out the door. He leapt up into the phone lines and found his way to the center of the city in no time at all. It was a pleasant afternoon, the streets filled with people bustling about while they hurried back to work from their lunch breaks. The super teen extraordinaire found it difficult to believe crime could be afoot on a day like this.

Back flipping onto a rooftop Freakazoid sought the perfect spot to simply observe the people below. Leaning over the edge of the old roof Freakazoid idly watched the normal people stroll back and forth. Dexter was thinking of a plan, a way to handle Gutierrez without revealing his identity.

…

For the next week Dexter and Freakazoid patrolled the area searching for any kind of clue Gutierrez may have left behind. Roddy had warned him that going straight to Apex industries would be the last thing the boys wanted to do so this was their only option. Somewhere in Dexter's mind he knew it was crazy to go looking for Gutierrez, but Freakazoid would remind him that Gutierrez had come looking for him once already. Neither of them wanted anybody in danger on their behalf.

One day while the boys were out on patrol Freakazoid grew irritated over a noise that rung his ears. It was a payphone. Nobody answered the darn thing, but whoever was on the other line kept calling it over and over. Freakazoid eventually grew so annoyed by it that he left his stakeout to answer it. He landed lightly besides it on the sidewalk and opened the glass door.

"Who calls a payphone?" he muttered through gritted teeth. "Jeesh! Hello!"

"Hello Freakazoid"

The voice on the other end of the line was silky sweet and admittedly made Freakazoid blush. But, he quickly realized he recognized it.

"Who is this?"

"Just a messenger, big boy", the voice cooed. "I've been waiting for you"

"And you called a payphone?" he questioned. "That's dumb"

"Don't be mean, Freakazoid", it hissed softly. "Because you want to know what I have to say", there was a slight pause and she told him "Just giving you a heads up that you'd better keep an eye on your little _girlfriend_"

"Girlfriend…I don't…" with Dexter's aid it dawned on him what, or rather who she was referring to. "Hey, no fair! She's a non playable character!"

"Alls fair in love and war Freakazoid", Audrey whispered harshly into the other line followed by a breathy scoff. "Gutierrez wants you to surrender yourself or else we're coming after your pretty blonde bird"

"Wait", Freakazoid had the utmost urgency laced in his tone. "Oh, I thought we were talking about Steff!"

"We are you idiot"

"Steff's a girl not a bird", Freakazoid reasoned. "And either way she has nothing to do with all this"

"She does now", Audrey chuckled.

Freakazoid clenched his fist, cracking the phone in his hand; the glass booth creaked softly. Dexter urged him to remain calm as he felt a weird pressure emanating from their body. But Freakazoid had realized how serious Audrey's allegations were; Gutierrez was threatening Steff. His and Dexter's Steff.

"If he lays even one of his old man hands on her I'll-"

"You'll what?" Audrey mocked. "For all you know he already has her"

CRUNCH

'_Freak, wait-_'

Dexter tried to reason but it was too late for that; Freakazoid had already made up both their minds. Freakazoid crushed the phone in his hand as the booth shattered around him. His teeth ground together as he leapt up into the wires and headed back to suburbia. Dexter did his best to keep Freakazoid calm, but truth be told he was equally as frantic which resulted in little progress being made. With both sides in turmoil it was a difficult trick to balance one another out.

…

'_Freakazoid we shouldn't be here_' Dexter's voice was clearer now and halted Freakazoid at the edge of her lawn. '_It could be a trap_'

"She could be in danger", his voice was calmer than Dexter had expected it to be. "We're heroes Dex. It's our job to save her"

There was a moment where Dexter's presence disappeared, but soon enough returned with a more positive attitude. He knew that Freakazoid was right.

'_Okay_' he agreed. '_Just make sure she's okay and then we have to go home_'

"Should I climb in her window?"

'_No!_' Dexter scolded. '_Gently toss a rock or something up there and she'll come out if she's home_'

Freakazoid snuck over to Steff's window and gently tossed a rock to rap on the glass. It was getting dark now, but he just had to see if she was okay. Just when he lifted a considerably larger rock to toss the window opened. Steff peered outside curiously.

"Hey Steff!" he screamed as loud as he could to her slight dismay. "Steff! I'm sorry I haven't come by to visit you, I've been going through some stuff!" she shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Has anyone tried to kidnap you lately?"

Steff thought about it for a moment with her finger tapping her bottom lip, but shook her head no sweetly. Freakazoid swooned over her as she gestured for him to come up to her window. He leapt and grabbed onto the ledge of her window; it was easy enough for him to climb up and into her room. It was so pink and clean.

'_Wow_' Dexter sighed. '_I'm in her room…well, sort of_'

Freakazoid couldn't help but look her over when he noticed she was in her pajamas already; a pink tank top and flannel cupcake printed bottoms. She smiled from ear to ear as she wrapped herself around his arm and lead him to sit on her bed. Freakazoid grinned with smitten affection as she pecked him on the cheek and skipped to her vanity. He watched her through the reflection pull something out of her jewelry box.

A pair of silver charm bracelet was presented to him in her dainty hands. It was such a sweet and childish way of showing affection that it brought a thick blush to Freak's blue face. He didn't question her as she gently snapped it onto his wrist. Freakazoid was so lost in her eyes that he mistook the numb feeling in his arm for a side effect of his infatuation as she quickly placed the second one on his other wrist.

"These are neat-o" Freakazoid softly admired the craftsmanship and how heavy the material felt; he was cut off by Steff leaning forwards and pressing her lips against his. "Mft!"

'_Oh just great!_' Dex grumbled. '_This is the last thing I want to see_'

She laced her fingers with his and pushed him back enough to toss his hands over his head. They fell on the bed as dead weight. The girl stepped back wearily, gathering a little distance between her and Freakazoid; she smiled when he tried to sit up and his hands could not be lifted. Confusion filled the teens face as he realized his arms were unbelievably heavy.

"Um…" he pulled till his face turned red but the best he could do was slide off the bed to the floor; his arms were so heavy he had to struggle to lift them as he stood. "Steff? What…uh, exactly are these tokens of affection made of?"

Steff pulled out a small remote with a dial and pressed a button. The bracelets suddenly connected by a wave of pure negatively charged energy. Freakazoid recognized the beam for what it was and tried in utter desperation to get away, swinging his arms about to no avail. He bumped into Steff's desk and sent papers scattering all over the floor.

'_Freakazoid?_' Dexter questioned worriedly. '_What's wrong with you_?'

"Get it off me!" he tried to break it apart, slip free, do something, anything. But for all his strength was powerless against the negatively charged material. "Dexter…" Freakazoid took a knee as _Steff_ turned the dial up a few notches. "Dexter…it…"

A sharp intake of breath left Freakazoid as the girl of his affections pulled out a gun. He was perspiring as she held it without regret or reserve; but the reason for this he realized was because she was not Steff.

"I can tell you figured it out", Deadpan said flatly as she reached up and reformed her true face. "A shame it took you so long Freakazoid"

She shot him in the shoulder first, but he when he didn't go down she shot him again. And gain. And again. It took five elephant tranquilizers in all to reduce the strong willed hero to a toppling mass of blue, accompanied with the aid of the disguised negatively charged graphite handcuffs.

The blue teen hit the floor unconscious and barely breathing. Deadpan pressed the heel of her foot to his shoulder so he'd roll onto his back. She had expected him to change and reveal his secret identity, but no such luck occurred. Perhaps it was because the drugs affected both halves.

Inside the head of Dexter Douglas both teens fell in the darkness, spiraling downward. There was no room, no Freak-a-lair; they fell and kept falling till the grey grew darker and the consciousness of Dexter and Freakazoid landed in the darkest part of themselves.


	11. Heart of Darkness

Chapter Eleven: Heart of Darkness

_In the darkest reaches of Dexter's mind_…

Freakazoid tried to pick himself up from the floor, but his body felt so heavy. His bones creaked as he rolled onto his side and then his stomach so he could push himself up. The area he found himself in was dimly lit and forced his eyes to squint. How peculiar.

"Curiouser and curiouser"

As he wandered through the growing darkness, hands outreached for anything to give him a clue as to where he was Freakazoid grew concerned. He felt the darkness licking at his heels, trying to grab onto him.

"Dexter!" Freakazoid worriedly called out. "Dexter!" he spun about frantically searching for his companion. "This is no time for hide and seek…please say something. Anything…Marco…"

'_Polo_'

The low hiss seemed to slither into Freakazoid's ear, startling him. He stumbled about trying to decipher exactly where it had come from, but as it continued the fact became that the voice was emanating from all around. Freakazoid flexed his muscles and tried to be brave, but the coldness of the air made him shiver. This was no happy place.

But Dexter was here too, and likely more frightened than Freakazoid was. He challenged the mysterious observer for answers "Where's Dexter?"

'_Not here to protect you_'

"Protect me?" he challenged gruffly.

'_I can see your confusion_' it said eerily. '_Come now, call for him if you like and we shall all have a nice little chat_'

"You leave Dexter out of this", Freakazoid swung his fist at the chuckle that sounded like it came from behind him; he spun around a few times as nothing restricted the blow but air. "Ah! So annoying! Who are you anyway?"

'_Darkness can be found in the purest of hearts_' it said with arrogance. '_I am the darkness which resides within Dexter_'

"Nuh-uh", Freakazoid taunted, shaking his head in the darkness. "Dexter is good! The goodest thing ever! As good as puppies and sugar plums and…and…"

'_And he is also human'_ it sneered in its tone. '_Anyone will tell you that within all humans lay the Heart of Darkness'_

"Woah there buddy. If you keep this attitude up nobody's going to take you to the prom"

Freakazoid felt something grip him; he broke free and ran. But he couldn't see or hear anything, just the dull chuckle of whatever echoed at his coattails.

"What's your problem!" Freakazoid squeaked as something wound round his ankle and made him fall flat. "Show yourself and fight me!"

He was pulled back, scraped against the floor even as he clawed at the ground. Freakazoid struggled as he was hoisted up by strange hands he couldn't see. The enemy was nearby, Freakazoid could hear him, it breathing.

'_You wish to see me parasite?'_ it chuckled darkly, pulling Freakazoid into a kneeling position. '_I shall oblige_'

A small panel on the floor lit up and revealed the darkness in Dexter's heart. It smiled a sharp-toothed Cheshire grin as its long fingered hand reached out and flicked Freakazoid's blue nose. Freakazoid growled and fought to free himself, but the darkness seemed be unbreakable. The dark figure laughed at his futile efforts.

'_Fight all you like but your situation will not change' _ it said. '_You are the manifestation of Dexter's defenses_…' the dark entity gestured to itself with exaggerated flair. '_I am his purest desires'_

"Desires? You can't be all bad?"

'_I wasn't always this way_', it alleged in agony. '_Years of torment have made me what I am. On the surface Dexter is trying his best to cope and get by, but in the back of his mind he knows that he will never be happy. It isn't in the cards_' it tilted its head in thought, looking into Freakazoid's eyes for something it didn't find, couldn't find. '_Morality kept my wishes at bay. It's not right to punish people he would reason. But you've opened the door Freakazoid. Now I don't have feelings keeping me from doing what I know is right, giving people what they deserve. Giving myself what I deserve_'

"I won't let you!" Freakazoid growled with dark circles forming beneath his eyes. "If you try to lay a hand on hi-"

The evil being commanded the darkness to wrap around Freakazoid; it covered his mouth to silence him. Laughing and circling around the immobile alter ego Dexter's desires only grew stronger the more he fought.

'_Shhh_' holding an elongated finger to its mouth the creature-like entity paused behind Freakazoid to peer over his shoulder. '_You will see in time that things are better my way_'

Freakazoid's dark blue eyes narrowed in hatred. This thing, whatever it was wasn't good for Dexter; in fact it was what had been keeping them apart all this time.

'_I would use that power properly'_ smiling wickedly, he painfully gripped Freakazoid's shoulders. '_Freakazoid my little parasite there is malice in you too, somewhere deep __**deep**__ down I can smell it. Anger and jealousy you see are passionate emotions…prone to impulse_' there was a stagnant pause that sent shivers up Freakazoid's spine. '_Dexter is our master but you are my equal. I can sway you, show you that I am right_'

Freakazoid shut his eyes. He didn't want to look at it, hear it or believe it. Just as the creature leaned forwards with its jagged mouth open, he heard the tender voice of Dexter calling out to him. A white light shined in the distance. It felt warm and comforting. The darkness receded as the hold on Freakazoid loosened.

'_Thissss isn't over parasite'_

"Hugbee…" he looked towards the light with a smile. "You came back for me"

"Freakazoid", Dexter gently shook him by the shoulders as he pulled him to his feet. "Wake up…you have to wake up"

"Wake up?" Freakazoid questioned, suddenly feeling strange. "But…woah, Dexy I feel _weird…_I…"

…

"That was a very detailed hallucination", Freakazoid mumbled as his eyes fluttered open.

"Awake at last my little blue friend", the hazy voice of Armando Gutierrez rung in Freakazoid's ears. "I had begun to wonder if my associate had accidentally killed you"

Freakazoid's head rolled from his shoulder, his chin resting on his collar bone. Half-lit eyes starred through a drug induced white haze at the source of his and Dexter's turmoil. Armando Gutierrez chuckled as he pinched the boy's blue cheek; the sudden sharp pain certainly helped him wake up. The startled teen tried to stand but found that he was cuffed to a chair- a chair made of graphite.

"Nutbunnies"

"Yes, _nutbunnies_ indeed", Gutierrez chuckled. "You should never have revealed your weakness"

"Well I know that now!" the boy quipped matter-of-factly. "I hope you haven't gone blabbering it all over the place"

"I have not", Gutierrez commented with utmost seriousness. "Not that the common man can produce such a material", he paused to make sure the boy caught his proud sneer before continuing. "But enough chitter-chatter, it is time to talk business my friend"

Gutierrez strolled across his office to his desk. With a quick flick of his wrist his chair spun and revealed a hostage; an incapacitated Steff that slumbered blissfully unaware of the evil doings going on about her. Freakazoid eyed her suspiciously, a look Gutierrez quickly caught. He silently turned on a surveillance camera, revealing Deadpan to be on a lower level of the building filing her nails. Freakazoid looked back at Steff and within the safe confines of his head asked Dexter for advice.

But he heard nothing. Dexter was still too deep in their subconscious to be reached. He tried to think harder, but still nothing came to him. He was on his own. His vision refocused as Gutierrez stared him down.

"What do you want ya big weenie", Freakazoid grumbled.

"Weenie?" Gutierrez raged. "How dare you talk to me in such a way!"

"I didn't know weenies had etiquette standards", pursing his lips Freakazoid taunted the man for time, ignoring how red his face was slowly becoming.

"Do not task me boy!"

"How about you untie me and we settle this with words like people who aren't MAD WITH POWER!"

"If I wanted to talk this out I wouldn't have sent the blue boulder head to your highschool", he snapped back. "Talk is cheap, Freakazoid. I want action. I want your power"

"Well you can't have it", Freakazoid snorted. "It's mine and I don't want to share"

Gutierrez leered with malicious eyes. He ran his fingers through Steff's golden hair and stirred the girl in her drug induced slumber; she made a small mewing sound, nearly waking before Gutierrez removed his hand and allowed her to settle back into a deep sleep.

"What a shame", he said feigning idle thought. "Because you see I was hoping to release this _lovely_ creature unharmed…but _now_, I am not so sure…"

Freakazoid narrowed his eyes. He felt something bubble inside of him; it was hot and impatient and begging to burst. Was that anger he was feeling? Without warning he rocked the chair forwards to get on his feet and charged to his best effort in the direction of Gutierrez.

He merely gripped the young woman's hair and squeezed till she made a sound. It was quiet, barely audible, but Freakazoid heard it. He tried his best to stop, ending up toppling over himself and crashing into the mahogany desk. A porcelain figure fell off the edge and shattered.

"Be careful my blue friend", Gutierrez darkly whispered. "I am a strong believer in that old saying an eye for an eye so if you break _my_ things", he paused to secure his hold on Steff. "I break _your_ things"

Gutierrez pulled Steff in closer, watching Freakazoid stare on helplessly as he loosely laid his hand around her slender throat. This boy would know to fear him. And for what the action was worth Freakazoid was afraid; he flopped about on the floor fighting his bonds. With all his strength he couldn't break the cuffs or the chair. All that came to him in his moment of weakness was a question.

Where was Dexter?

…

A gentle breeze wafted the scent of spring grass into the air. Dexter opened his eyes and sat up; this was a place he had gone to many times as a child back before computers had been available for the average folk. Harry Connick Park had been cleaner back in the day, safer as there had been less super villain based crime in the city. How strange Dexter thought as he stood and observed the serine scene before him.

"Freakazoid?" Dexter spoke expecting his companion to have fallen somewhere nearby, but his blue alter ego was nowhere to be seen at the moment. "He's not here. Hm", walking to the edge of the hill Dexter peered over the edge and saw that the drop appeared to be that of a mountainside and not the rolling hill of a park. "Where am I?"

'_You're in the deepest reaches of our subconscious Dexter_'

Dexter turned defensively, out of instinct towards the sudden guest. He beheld himself, only the expression on his doppelganger's face was strange. The copy waited for Dexter with wide eyes and an impressionistic smile to make the next move. Dexter didn't know what to do so he looked around for Freakazoid.

'_He is not here. Not anymore_' the figure said with a twisted smile. '_Remember Dexter, you sent him away to go after the girl_'

"Who are you?" Dexter questioned, keeping his distance between the unusual visitor and himself.

'_I am the culmination of what you are ashamed of Dexter Douglas_' it said with eyes that bore into his own like hot daggers. '_The part of you that has been hidden away for so very long_'

Dexter couldn't help but glance around him, at the grass, the sun and the large tree which provided the shade in which his doppelganger stood under. Why would the darkest part of his sub consciousness bring him here, more importantly though Dexter wondered why and how it was speaking to him?

'_I have manifested because you need to hear what I have to say_'

"What?" the boy questioned, allowing the figure to take a step forward. "I just got over all that stuff with Freak and now this? I have enough things going on in my head thank you very much"

Before he realized it, Dexter's Id was besides him, circling him, touching his hair with the tips of his fingers. It taunted him to turn and unnerve himself with gleeful chuckles and mocking looks. Dexter opened his mouth to snap but it wrapped its hands around his face and smothered him.

'_You can resist me Dexter Douglas, because this is your body_' it hissed. '_But it is not __**his**__ body_'

Twisting his head Dexter broke free and bit the hands that struggled to contain him. The doppelganger backed away with a Cheshire grin.

"Shut up", Dexter ordered. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you! Freakazoid is in my consciousness fighting bad guys and I'm down here dreaming that I'm arguing with…_whatever_ you are", he pointed and the copy backed away. "I need to wake up. If you must be here then wake me up"

A crooked sharp-toothed grin spread across its face; it strode forwards like a cat hunting a fly and brought its finger to Dexter's head, between his eyes like a gun. Dexter's eyes opened wide and he froze, confused and concerned.

'bang'

…

Freakazoid's face pressed against the floor as he glared with a pouty face at the lack of options. After listening to Gutierrez's laughter for what felt like an eternity Freakazoid heard the meek gasp of something familiar. It was Dexter's voice.

'_My head_!' Dexter shouted. '_He shot me in the head_!'

"Who shot you in the head?" Freakazoid questioned loudly.

"Ahahaha- what was that?" Gutierrez questioned.

"How rude", Freakazoid scolded. "Private conversation over here. Stop eavesdropping"

'_I didn't think I'd wake up like that to this!_' Dexter panted nervously '_Okay we need a plan, a way of escape. Um_…_I can slip out of the cuffs!_'

"Wow! That's why you're the best Dex!"

"Who are you talking to?"

"Freak in!"

In a flash Freakazoid changed back into Dexter and easily pulled his hands through the cuffs. In a rare moment of agility Dexter sprung to his feet and swung with all his might. Just as his fist was about to make contact he summoned his alter ego's return.

"Freak out!"

Gutierrez went flying into the back wall of his office. In the same motion Freakazoid hoisted Steff into his arms and ran as fast as he could to the nearest exit. Gutierrez raged as Freakazoid ducked into the hallway with the unconscious girl in tow. A gentle sound, like the soft mew of a kitten alerted Freakazoid; Steff was starting to wake up. She opened her eyes and as they focused realized that she was no longer dreaming, but awake and on top of that somewhere very unfamiliar.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked, her manicured nails digging into the red fabric of Freakazoid's costume. "Where am I?"

"Rescuing you and Apex Industries tower", Freakazoid flatly answered as he moved into a sliding kick to take out some incoming guards. "You can thank me later. Maybe with another kiss?"

He wiggled his eyebrows playfully and she blushed.

Bullets hit the wall a few feet from the two teen's heads. Dodging the next few shots while juggling Steff who had become so terrified, she was as stiff as petrified wood Freakazoid made his way down the hall to the stairs. He had to find a way out, but how was he to do that with his lovely lady friend in constant peril?

'_Steff's a tough girl Freakazoid_' Dexter reminded him. '_She'll get over it once she adjusts. Just keep her safe. Please, don't let anything happen to her_'

"Sure thing lil buddy", Freakazoid smirked as he took a sharp turn.

"Freakazoid, why am I here?" Steff squeaked as they ducked into the west wing stair case.

"I'm sorry Steff", Freakazoid replied sweetly as he spoke for himself and Dexter. "We never wanted you to get involved. But I promise that I'll get you home safe and sound"

A few bullets force Freakazoid to a screeching halt a few flights down. He presses his back to the wall for cover as more than two dozen heavily armed guards surrounded him. Steff meekly tightened her hold around his neck, her gentle whimper breaking his blue heart.

'_They're aiming for her_' Dexter hastily pointed out.

Freakazoid gently lowered Steff to the ground; she crouched low to the floor and got behind him. He smirked as a few of the guards tried to rush him. His fist sent the first to reach him toppling back into the stragglers and a low kick followed by a quick swing knocked the next into the nearby wall. Steff winced as the cracked drywall released fragments into the air by her; she didn't want to be in the middle of a fight, a hindrance to her hero.

'_There's too many to fight hand to hand_' Dexter instructed. '_Time for a combo special_'

His alter ego obeyed and threw a lightning bolt in the direction of the next group of guards as they fired at him; the men fell to the floor immobile and smelling like bacon. He charged with unusual focus as Dexter called out the commands he loyally followed. Steff watched the blue teen in awe as the guards that had outnumbered him lay unconscious in the stairwell.

"That was quite a jolt, Freak" she commented with a chuckle and gladly accepted his hand as he offered it to her. "So shall we continue down the stairs?"

Freakazoid motioned to pick her up but Steff refused, instead running past him to the stairs. He followed after her with a smitten expression. They descended a few more flights and heard nothing of more guards or security. Steff had begun to grow short of breath as she tried her best to keep up with him. Lucky for her Dexter noticed.

'_Freakazoid Steff is getting tired_'

"Oh, um…" the blue teen turned to his companion and smiled, offering her a ride on his back. "How about a lift?"

"I'm heavier than I look", she commented bashfully.

"I insist", he smiled and hoisted her up onto his back; Freakazoid carried Steff like a backpack till they were only ten floors from the bottom. "Almost there"

"Freak…um, don't you think it's weird", she began meekly. "…that we haven't run into anymore guards?"

'_I was thinking the same thing_' Dexter commented on the side. '_Keep on your toes Freakazoid_'

But the teen found himself unable to concentrate on Dexter with the warm body pressed against his back and the slender arms wrapped tenderly around his neck for support. Her gentle breathes were unintentionally hitting his ear and Freakazoid could only think of all the things he should not be thinking about at the moment. Dexter did his best to keep his alter ego focused, but what did the trick was a tranquilizer. It struck him in the shoulder.

Freakazoid remembered that he was in actual danger.

Steff hastily pulled it out of Freak's shoulder and tossed it to the ground. They kept moving, but Freak found he didn't have as much energy as he did a moment ago. He couldn't keep trudging down the stairs so he broke through a door on the eighth floor and ducked into an office room. Steff was eased onto a conference table before Freakazoid collapsed onto the floor.

"Freakazoid", she slid off the table top and kneeled besides him; cradling his blue face in her arms she saw as he looked up at her, something familiar. It was the way they _looked_ when he was tired that reminded her of someone she knew. "Please don't fall asleep. I'm a little…scarred"

'_C'mon Freak_' Dexter urged. '_You have to fight through it_'

"I just need a minute", he told them both. "Just…just a…"

…

Gutierrez weakly climbed out of the rubble and braced himself on the edge of his desk. Even when he was a young lad a punch like that would have knocked him out. He reached over to his surveillance controls. Freakazoid was on the eighth floor and injured. Good, he needed to stall him.

The old man caught his breath as the doors to his office were kicked open. Audrey strolled in with a smug look painted on her pretty face. She taunted Gutierrez with what he had been searching for; the Pinnacle chip. Using her most charming movements Audrey seated herself on his desk, but pulled the chip away when Gutierrez reached for it.

"I have your word correct?"

"My word is my bond", he instructed while gently plucking the chip from her dainty fingers. "I am curious to know how hospitable my old friend was"

"He managed to escape through the blasted computer", she grumbled while cocking her gun. "and left that pretty precious behind"

"I'm sure I instructed you to get rid of him", Gutierrez snapped.

"I didn't know the guy could _leap_ into a computer", she argued. "I had a gun on him"

"Irrelevant", Gutierrez snapped as he installed the chip. "You can go now and finish the job"

Audrey gladly accepted his dismissal. Here she was stuck in a tower with the craziest strongest thing she had ever seen in her life. She just wanted to make it out alive and without being arrested so she could collect the money being wired to her. Meanwhile, Armando Gutierrez chuckled to himself as he typed in the code one key at a time. This is what he had been waiting for; he didn't care if Roddy was still on the loose. Armando knew once he possessed powers he could dispose of the Scotsman.

"And now Freakazoid", he growled in a low tone filled with hate as he plugged a thumb drive into the computer and loaded an override file. "We shall see who is the real weenie around here"

…

Steff did her best to help Freakazoid to his feet, but all that muscle made him so heavy. Dexter wished they could change back, but he knew revealing his identity in the lair of his arch nemesis, especially in front of his high school crush was out of the question; too many cameras and questions if he went with that option. There was little more time to think as out of nowhere the building's power dimmed, flickered and then nearly blew a fuse as it surged.

Steff clung to Freakazoid, ignorant of what all this meant. But, in a rare moment of sanity Freakazoid looked up at the lights and _knew_. He forced himself to stand, fought against the numb feeling in his legs and just as he got to his full height was knocked off his feet.

Lighting illuminated the small room as Gutierrez exerted his power, laughing as Freakazoid's body remained embedded in the crumbling wall. The weakened youth pulled himself out and stood on staggering legs. His dark blue eyes were focused, pupils dilated. He was ready for a scrap.

'_We're still weak from the drugs._ _Let's take him somewhere where we can even the playing ground'_ Dexter growled.

"Let's do it!"

Freakazoid used the last of his strength to charge forwards and manifest his energy form, crashing into Gutierrez and knocking back into the one place where he would be able to stop him. Their consciousness travelled through the wires and returned to Gutierrez's computer. Both figures struggled for control, but ended up in the same place.

"Where are we?" Gutierrez questioned with wide eyes.

"Home", Freakazoid smirked as he stood, electricity dimly circling his firm frame. "And now I'm going to teach you what happens when you _touch_ my things"

((Author's Note))

I wasn't sure about the whole inner darkness thing...but they did get completely knocked out so they'd be as far into their own subconscious as possible. And that's how i'm justifying it.

I'm so sorry to inform you guys that the next chapter will be the last one, but I have already outlined a second book to Glitch with two main villains from the show making their appearance as the main antagonists! Yeah!

Okay...time for bed


	12. Boss Fight

Chapter Twelve: Boss Fight

Gutierrez hit the ground and tumbled across the floor, his trail illuminated by red lights. As his body slumped to a stop the old man relieved himself by rolling onto his back to better catch his breath. That stupid boy had punched him, punched him right in the face and smiled while he did it. He actually had the _nerve_ to smile. Recharged by rage Gutierrez clambered to his feet and clamped his hands into tight balled fists.

Meanwhile Freakazoid approached him, his strut filled with youthful pride, eyes focused on immediate gratification in form of beating his adversary to a pulp. The teen bat his fists together. He arrogantly leapt into the air with his arm wound back. But electricity ignited around his foe and in expectantly flashed out; it wrapped around Freakazoid, slowed him down but did not stop him.

"I have no use for you now that I have this power!" Gutierrez roared as he grappled with his youthful foe. "I will kill you Freakazoid!"

But Freakazoid wasn't going to be intimidated; he knew he had the advantage. His youth helped him pin his foe's arm behind his back as he slammed him into the ground. Red illuminated the floor as Freakazoid repeatedly introduced his face to the ground.

"MWA! MWA! MWA! MWA! MWA!"

"Freakazoid!" Dexter called out. "Stop that"

Loosening his hold till Gutierrez's long spiky hair slipped through his fingers and landed with a heavy thud on the floor Freakazoid found himself distracted by the appearance of his alter ego. How was it possible for the two of them to be here together? Dexter caught his breath, bracing himself on his knees till he could sputter the answer to the question he read in Freak's face.

"We're inside the Pinnacle chip", Dexter pointed out, but Freak knew that. "This place is a neutral zone…it's like being inside _your_ subconscious"

"This isn't even my chip", Freakazoid argued, a weird look in his eye. "Nevermind. I don't care", he reached down and gripped Gutierrez's scalp, pulled him back up off the floor and snarled. "I'm going to teach this guy a lesson!"

Dexter hastily dashed to Freakazoid's side and with all his strength grabbed hold of his wrist; Freakazoid could have easily went through with his intentions, but as always was compelled to obey Dexter's wishes. Pulling his fist back Freakazoid narrowed his eyes, wanting with all his being to repay Gutierrez for the torment Steff and Dexter have been put through. But, he looked into those doe eyes of Dexter's as he took a knee besides him and knew what he wanted to say without saying it.

Freakazoid was a hero and heroes didn't act this way. He was better than this, better than Gutierrez. Dexter smiled as Freakazoid slowly brought his fist back down and released his grip on Gutierrez's arm. The older man sighed in relief at the absence of pressure and went limp beneath his adversary.

"Thanks Huggbee", Freakazoid whispered as he lowered his gaze and caught his breath. "I…um, don't know what came over me…"

"It's okay Freak", his counterpart soothed as he rested his frail hand on Freak's broad shoulder; it was such a pathetic pat on the back, but exactly what Freakazoid needed to remember that a hero didn't have to rely on strength alone. "That's why I'm here"

"Don't know what I'd do without you…"

They had been so caught up in their moment of what they assumed was victory that neither paid much attention to Gutierrez. It was in their blind spot that he found an opportunity; Freakazoid was invincible yes, but the boy? No, the boy was merely human as he once was. He didn't possess super strength or invulnerability to lightning. All he had to do was touch him and there he was kneeling right besides his freshly freed hand.

"Dexter!"

Freakazoid reached out for his counterpart as the force behind Gutierrez's attack sent him flying back off his feet. He watched with wide eyes as Dexter's head rolled to one side as he lay motionless on the floor. A thin trail of smoke wisped off his body and faded into the air. This wasn't happening he told himself. How could he let Dexter get hurt? The pupils of Freakazoid's eyes shrunk as rage fueled adrenaline tangoed with the shock that had hit him.

Gutierrez flung Freakazoid from his back and laughed at his dazed state. He advanced with a few wide punches and Freakazoid simply took them. Something inside was turning over, it rattled at his core and made him numb. Dexter wasn't getting up he kept thinking. And what was worse he felt their link thinning, was losing the oneness with his alter ego. A good punch threw Freakazoid back, made him fold over and reach out to the ground to keep on his feet.

And the more Dexter faded the more Freakazoid felt that numb sensation. He fell like a fallen tree, silently barring the horrible pain of its roots being ripped from the ground; through his internal turmoil he barely heard Gutierrez's dark and annoying chuckle. His adversary reached down and grabbed a handful of the red fabric of Freakazoid's costume to hoist him back up to his feet.

The tips of the teen's toes scrapped the floor as he trembled. A Smug grin overtook Gutierrez's face as he assumed Freakazoid was trembling in fear of him; he wailed on the boy like a punching bag, the final blow sending him reeling across the floor. The darkly lit area illuminated as the limp body let gravity take hold.

"So I have found you're true kryptonite, have I boy?" he mocked through a crooked grin. "Without that pathetic boy you are nothing…just a little helpless computer glitch"

Something inside him seemed to wear away. He found that Dexter's expectations were receding, shadowed by this unbearable feeling in his chest. Freakazoid knew that if he didn't do something then everything would be over, he would never leave this place, Dexter would never leave this place…

Dexter could die. Freakazoid shook his head, promising himself he would not fail him no matter what he had to do.

Gutierrez was ruthless; he was coming down on Freakazoid with a charged fist reeled back, preparing for the finishing blow. But this fight was far from over. Freakazoid rolled back in a quick maneuver; he perched for a moment like a cat, with the intent of a coiled snake. He waited. In a moment of weakness as his fist connected with the ground, the shocked Gutierrez was tackled by a blue blur.

The two of them fought tooth and nail on the ground, but Freakazoid came up on top. His eyes pierced through his foe, narrowed and full of hate as they focused. There was nothing but Gutierrez, the man who possibly murdered Dexter. Gutierrez was stunned by the look, feeling for the first time that the boy may have it in him to kill.

"You…you can call me names…" Freakazoid trembled with rage, his fist tightly wound as a crazed look overcame him entirely. "You can beat me up…you can even try to kill me…heck, kill me for all I care…" there was a frightening pause as electricity sparked around Freakazoid's tightened fist. "But know this Gutierrez…Dexter is the last straw. I'm not playing around anymore!"

The electrically charged fist wailed on Gutierrez till his nose exploded with blood. Every blow was quickly followed by another and even as Gutierrez reached up and clawed at the boy, his arms, his face, his hair but nothing halted or even delayed the ongoing assault.

"Please Freakazoid!" Gutierrez managed to sputter once Freakazoid stopped to catch his breath; he trembled at the crazed youth, whose face was now lightly speckled with blood as he swallowed rough clumps of air to fill his ragged lungs.

"Please what?" he harshly whispered as he leaned in close. "You think you're getting mercy? Hello, you just crippled my moral compass!" Freakazoid grabbed Gutierrez and rolled back, kicking him into the air and watching as his body landed with a limp thud some feet away. "We're in my subconscious blockhead", he growled as he pursued the man attempting to crawl away. "And from a computer's point of view you're just a nasty little old cookie leeching off my data"

Freakazoid stopped at the cowering man's heels. Reaching down he grabbed his ankle and pried him from the floor, swung him over his head and batted him against the ground like a child playing with a piece of string. He tossed the man aside only to catch his breath.

"I think it's about time I cleared my browser history"

Freakazoid kicked Gutierrez, sending him rolling onto his back. Even with Freakazoid's powers he was still old and inexperienced. He knew that any moment the boy was going to kill him; he lifted his head the best he could and looked Freakazoid in the eye hoping to sway him. Those eyes were growing so cold and it didn't help how tense the boy had become, how wild his hair was, and how everything about him screamed pure hatred.

It was a terrifying sight to behold.

"F-Freakazoid…" he pleaded wearily. "Please spare me…I am but an old fool. I see that now…please…"

"Not me", his words came like a growl from deep within his chest; Freakazoid grabbed the feeble man by the scruff of his collar and drug him to where Dexter lie. "You apologize to Dexter!"

"Freakazoid!" a booming voice came as a surprise to both parties; Freakazoid looked over his shoulder and recognized Roddy's form silhouetted by the white light beneath him. "What are yew doin lad?"

Freakazoid turned away slowly. "He hurt Dexter…I'm making him apologize", he responded like a scolded child, who'd just realized they'd misbehaved. "That's all"

"Yer tryin ta kill a man, that's what yer doin!" Roddy snapped as he strode besides the tattered teen. "It's a good thing Dexter thought to email me from Gutierrez's computer"

"Dexter sent for you?" Freakazoid perked up a little at the mention of his alter ego. "Why would he…"

"Because lad, he knew that if anything appened to im…", Roddy paused and gestured to Gutierrez for the rest of his explanation. "Listen ta me, you've got to stop and think about what yer doin"

"I know what I'm doing", Freakazoid meekly replied in justification. "I'm stopping the bad guy…I'm doing it for Dexter!"

"If yew wan ta help the lad stop what yer doin", Roddy informed him, resting his hand over the boy's tightened fist. "This in't living up tew his expectations of yew at all, beatn up a helpless old man"

The intensity seemed to fade from Freak's shoulders. It was true this was the last thing Dexter wanted. But, he was so angry and Dexter was seemed so very far away. There were few options now, but only one of them would work.

Freakazoid knew what he had to do. He hoisted Gutierrez over his shoulder and tenderly scooped Dexter up with his free arm. The boy was so thin and light it was remarkably easy to do. Roddy watched Freak in odd bemusement. What was he up to now?

"I need to recharge the link between Dexter and me or he's not going to make it", Freakazoid softly instructed. I'm going back to where this all began"

Roddy nodded and followed after the boy in silence. After a long awkward walk they arrived at a door you couldn't see unless it was touched. Freakazoid gently rested his palm on its surface and watched it light up, smiled at its tender and familiar pulse. It opened for him.

Inside there was an endless drop and a floating platform. He set Gutierrez down telling him he could cross himself and made his own way across with Dexter in tow. Each platform yielded to their combined weight, but the final one did not. It was solid ground. In the middle was a large tube and Freakazoid softly helped Dexter into it.

"I understand why you chose him", he whispered. "I really get it now"

Circuit board pattern light illuminated beneath Freakazoid and trailed to Dexter's floating form in the tube. Freakazoid smiled tenderly as Dexter's eyes opened and flickered with confusion. The two of them looked at one another as the lights beneath them brightened and repaired the damaged link.

"You're my anchor Hugbee", Freakazoid told him. "Not to sound too sappy, but you literally make me a better person"

In the tube Dexter saw something, his tired eyes widened and he parted his lips to speak. It was too late by the time Freakazoid figured out what he was trying to do; he felt the sharp pain in his shoulder before anything else. Gutierrez yanked the object from Freakazoid, but before he could attempt another blow Dexter reached out from within the tube and screamed for him to stop. A wave shattered the structure and sent Gutierrez stumbling backwards.

His heel teetered on the edge of the chasm, began to slip. Freakazoid reached out for him, but his white gloved fingertips merely brushed against his foes. The shocked teen fell with his midsection at the platforms edge looking down as Gutierrez vanished into the darkness. Behind him Dexter stood on shaking legs, bracing himself on a short pillar.

"Dexy, did you do that?"

"I…I don't know…" Dexter staggered as Freak rushed to his side and scooped him up into a big bear hug. "Ow! Watch it"

He winced.

Dexter opened his eyes. He was in Apex Industries with Roddy, sitting in Armando's chair. The leather felt cool beneath his still trembling hands. What had happened? How'd he get back out here? Roddy gently shook his frail shoulder and grabbed his unwavering attention. There were so many questions in those eyes of his, but Roddy couldn't answer all of them. Dexter turned his head and looked into the black screen of Gutierrez's monitor and saw him falling into that dark abyss.

"Did I…kill-"

"-Naw lad", Roddy assured. "Gutierrez dug is own grave in there. He got what he deserved"

"Nobody deserves to die", tears pricked the corners of Dexter's soft brown eyes.

"Now now, lad", Roddy assured him with a smile. "For all we know he's not dead. There's no way to know where that chasm leads…he could be alive"

"You're just saying that", Dexter moped as he slid further down the chair.

"I'd never lie to ya lad. Haven't yet, ave I?"

"No", Dexter adjusted his glasses, takes a breath a refocuses on the situation. "Steff is still in the building…Freakazoid should go get her out…"

At that Roddy smiled and replied "I called the cops lad, they're outside already. See?"

Dexter followed Roddy's finger to the glass wall. He rushed over to it, leaning against the cool surface with his palms flat. The cops were outside, but what about Steff? People were being escorted out, but what about her; Dexter couldn't see from so far away no matter how hard he tried so he ran out of the office. He ran flight after flight of stairs to get a closer look. It must have been the fifth floor that Dexter chose; he would be just high enough to avoid the police spotting him.

Inside an abandoned office floor Dexter pressed himself against the glass and looked. There were men being disarmed, confused employees and civilians crowding the yellow tape to get a peek but no Steff. As Dexter was about to pull away he saw a few medics rush to the entrance; they were crowding around a figure, a girl.

Steff. It was Steff. Had to be.

Dexter sighed in utter relief. His forehead clanged the glass as he leaned in and allowed himself to relax. This whole ordeal was finally over. Life could go on.

On the ground Steff was seated on the edge of the open back of an ambulance and given a blanket. For what he could see Dexter thought she appeared rather composed. He couldn't help but smile. But, the smirk twisted into a confused squiggle as she seemed to snap her head up and peer in his direction. He backed away from the window, clutching his heart and hoping, praying she hadn't recognized him.

'_Did she see you?_' Freakazoid inquired suggestively.

"Nah", Dexter replied. "It's better if she doesn't know anyway", he turned and headed for the door. "C'mon Freak, we should at least tell her goodbye"

But Steff had felt him watching her, even if it was from afar; she didn't know it was Dexter, but knew it wasn't Freakazoid. Whoever the mystery figure was she would dismiss for now, feeling so worn and ready to welcome sleep.

"Steff?" the soft voice gently opened her eyes; she bat her long lashes as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry I left you behind. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Freak…but you know I think someone's still in there", she pointed to the spot where he'd been standing moments ago. "I saw a boy in the window there"

"I assure you there's no one left in there", he smiled tenderly as she agreed and closed her eyes. "I've got to go Steff, but these nice people will see to it you get home okay?"

She nodded as a medic helped her into the ambulance, muttering something about exhaustion and shock, nothing too serious. Freakazoid soaked in the scene for Dexter. This was their first big baddie and they had won. As Freakazoid headed off he walked past a cop car parked differently than the others as it was facing away from the crime scene. A stubby old man was leaning against the door simply observing.

"Hey kid", his voice was old and grainy and captured Freakazoid's attention instantly; the boy turned to address him curiously. "You did good in there"

"Um…thank you" Freakazoid smiled, stopped and shook the man's hand.

"Hey, you deserve a reward…" Freakazoid opened his mouth to speak, but the man cut him off. "How about you and me go and get a snow cone? My treat, kiddo"

A wide smile spread across Freakazoid's face, stretching from ear to ear. How could he turn down an offer like that? The cop opened the passenger door to his car and offered Freakazoid a ride; the boy giddily hopped inside.

"Wow, this is neat-o!" Freakazoid cheered. "What was your name by the way?"

"Cosgrove", the man replied as he started up the car. "Now C'mon kid, let's get outta here"

"Best. Day. Ever!"

…

"The scene today turned an industrial landmark into an underground conspiracy. We still have no clue as to the whereabouts of CEO and founder Armando Gutierrez for his statement. What we do know is that this illegal activity was thwarted by our own local hero in blue, Freakazoid. So it's official evil doers, wherever you are you better watch your back because this energetic super teen will likely come looking for you next. This is Veronica Valentine Signing out"

((Author's Note))

YAY! Hope you guys enjoyed the ending. This was soooo much fun that I already started working on the second book. There's a preview for it at the end of this story in chapter thirteen. Feedback is appreciated!


	13. Bad Bellum Preview

Book Two "Bad Bellum" Preview

(Note that this is from chapter two of book two. Seemed fitting)

"You again?" Freakazoid groaned, his bottom jaw protruding. "I thought the writer was done with you"

"Excuse me?" she hissed turning the chamber on him and firing a warning shot. "Have you no manners? No wonder you're single…_Mr. Douglas_"

"You know about…" Freakazoid's eyes opened wide, his fists clenched defensively; Audrey leaned on one leg, smugly folding her arms over one another. "Who told you! It was your boss wasn't it! Oh when I face him again ima going to give him such a pinch!"

"Assuming he's still alive…" she smirked while throwing the comment out there, her painted lips twisting dangerously. "…but I suppose only Gutierrez can know for sure?"

While she taunted Audrey psychologically sucked Freakazoid into a stand-off and began taking little steps to the side; he matched every step until he had crab walked half a circle. Freakazoid was so distracted by the curve of her lips that he missed the mischievous glint on her eyes. Audrey let out a breathy chuckle.

"What's so funny?" he asked her.

"This", Audrey giggled as she whipped out her pistol and shot the table, igniting the chemicals and birthing a flashy, powerful, very loud explosion.

'_Freakazoid!_'

((Author's Note))

Sorry guys, just a nibble here, but don't worry, book two "Bad Bellum will be up very soon". I just realized that I can add cover art so i'm going to make one for the second book before I post. What fun! BTW, expect the next book to have mor twists and turns as well as going into the full range of Freak's powers as it's set a whole year after the first book.


End file.
